Welcome to Nowhwere
by krissyg927
Summary: This is my try at an AU to ZA story. Be gentle with me. LOL. This is my headcanon of why Daryl was so nasty in seasons one and two (Not that there's anything wrong with that, he's hot as fuck). Let me know what you think :) This one is over thirty chapters long :)
1. Chapter 1

This started as another one of my mushy stories about lost love and reunions, then I asked Teagan to read it and she, of course, made a story changing suggestion. Make it Au to ZA she said and my eyes bugged out and my breathing intensified...and here we are. This is my headcanon about why Daryl was such a nasty fucker in season one and two. Not that there's anything wrong with it because by now we all know I think its hot as fuckkkkk. This story has out of order flashbacks that I hope won't be too confusing, but I just didn't want to make it my typical thing so I switched it up a little. I had them remember things out of order :) Hope it makes sense :) Love you all and thank you for reading xoxoxoxox Krissy. I won't be able to post this every day cause it's not finished, I think Fridays and Wednesday will be the days.

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A wound will always leave a scar, Paulina was a wound care nurse and she knew that all too well. She had seen her fair share of scars and carried some too. The deeper the wound, the bigger the scar, but some you can't see at all. The scar she was left with after the first or hundredth unkind word and put down couldn't be seen by anyone. But she felt it every day, and one day she realized he just didn't love her at all, really realized it.

She was six months pregnant with their second child by then and had a two-year-old daughter named Katie, after her mother. But she knew it, sure as she knew the next fight was coming, and then she allowed herself to cry over it. This is not what a marriage is supposed to be, it was a cruel joke. She had married a man who didn't love her and had let go of the one that did.

That reality stung, she'd had love once, sweet, glorious, true love and she let it slip through her hands, but she didn't let that knowledge ruin her, instead, she started making plans. From that day, when he yelled and screamed at her when she was pregnant in front of their daughter she decided that one day they were getting away.

Kevin never laid a hand on her or the children and Paulina was grateful for that, but in reality, he didn't need to. He possessed the kind of mean streak that was unmatched by anyone she could ever know. She was pregnant and he yelled at her over the electric bill, as if she had any control over it at all. Kevin could cut her down with his words and make her feel like she was nothing but dirt under his feet with just a few well thought out sentences. He was the master of his craft and she was not willing to grow old with him or let him do the same to her girls.

She had to set an example for them or they would think this was normal, one day he might do it to them and she couldn't allow that either. As she walked through the house that held so much promise once upon a time she thought long and hard; with its big windows and hardwood floors, her dream home had become a prison. In the spare bedroom where she kept the extra blankets, she knelt down in front of the old cedar chest. It was time to take out the thicker comforters the days were getting cooler now, and she lifted the lid, reaching way down at the bottom where her old diary lay; with shaking hands, she opened the book. This was where her past was, dead and buried, but she still liked to think about it sometimes and have a good cry for what could have been.

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The last place he was stationed before retirement was Hawaii, and it had been sweet, nothing but sun and sand and surfing, but he was ready to go home again after so many years away. Merle was meeting him in Monterrey and together they were going back to their hometown the bury their old man and bury the past. Daryl had not set foot in Georgia in fifteen years or so, now he was coming home an officer. He wondered if she was still there or if she had moved away. Maybe she was married with children now; he had always planned to contact her again but then more and more time passed and he just felt stupid for even thinking of it. He still allowed himself a little piece of Paulina though at night when he was alone, and he never told a soul, not even Merle.

Both of them had lived a nomad's life all over the world and life had been good. Merle often was stationed in the same countries as him and they met up quite often to raise hell wherever they were. But something was missing, and now he wasn't too busy to think about it. Now the book he dragged around from country to country but never opened might get opened again. Maybe he would look at what was inside again, maybe it was time.

When he blew out of town at the age of nineteen, it was to get away from his abusive father and Merle had joined right up with him too. At first, it was just to escape, but it became a life, a career, and a blessing. Before either of them knew it they were ready to retire and start new lives, wherever they wanted to.  
It was time to go home.

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Paulina had been hiding money and bringing things to a secret storage unit for two years, preparing for someday. Someday when she could get away from him and save herself and her girls. Someday when she could be brave, someday when she had enough money saved, finished school and got her promotion. Someday when she might be happy and not planning her own death on the very bad nights.

She would never do it of course, because she would never leave her children, the very reason she stayed with him for ten more years was so that they wouldn't have to go to visitation with him on weekends as vulnerable babies. Once they were older, she figured, if he was mean to them they would tell her and she could petition the court to put a stop to the visits.

Still, that was a long way away with two little babies and sometimes she thought that it would be the only way to ever have peace, simple really, just drive into a brick wall and end her misery. Paulina thought about it, but she would never abandon her girls to be left with him. Kevin never gave her a moment's peace and he was never satisfied; he compared her to his ex-girlfriend constantly and never hesitated to tell her how she wasn't good enough for him, didn't measure up to his standards and wasn't the one he really loved.

Pretty soon she learned to ignore it and she focused on raising her babies, becoming a girl scout leader and class mother as well as finishing school. Life became busy, so busy that her interaction with him became less and less, and her nights sleeping on the couch became more and more.

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It was brisk and cool outside when she stopped at that 711 for coffee that Tuesday morning in October; this was her usual routine as she started her home visits for the day. She didn't know it as she walked in the store, but someday, the someday she dreamed of long ago became today, or very soon. Paulina had never seen it coming, she had never seen him coming, just like when they were kids.

She recognized him before he even turned around although they hadn't seen each other in almost fifteen years. The angles of his body and his stance hadn't changed at all, his hair was shorter, a little darker but she would know him anywhere. The span of his shoulders and his lean hips as she gazed at him without his knowledge brought back so many memories.

There he was, her deer hunter.

She remembered the first time she ever set eyes on him, he was in back of the school with his friends smoking and she was the new girl at school. It was so long ago...  
He was the one that got away, or rather the one she sent away.

Paulina knew that Daryl had made a black coffee with a shot of espresso and way too much sugar before he was even walking towards her. He broke into a grin when he did see her and it was like looking at a younger version of him that made her heart skip.

Then he was walking towards her and his face was lit with the most wonderful expression on it as if he was so very happy to see her. That surprised her.

Of all people maybe he wouldn't have been happy to see her at all, but he was, all that water under the bridge must have floated away. The last time she had seen him they were screaming at each other and now, his smile made her smile right back.

When had anyone except her children and the patients she visited along her route been happy to see her. A man? Happy to see her, well he would have been the last to look at her that way she thought.

Daryl was grinning at the sight of her so much it went right up to his eyes as he pulled her into a hug unlike any she had recently, really since the last time she had seen him. He held her so tight there in the store that his backward baseball cap almost fell off his head, he lifted her up slightly and she breathed his scent in.  
He couldn't help but dig his fingers into her gorgeous dark hair just a little to see if it was still as soft as he remembered.

He'd hugged her that last time too after the fight years ago, and he told her he was still leaving, and oh how she cried and cried.

Daryl had asked her to marry him, in that other life they had together so long ago. Paulina had said no and he left town with his brother to join the army, she thought about him sometimes over the years. She had regretted not marrying him, it was bitter in her mouth now how foolish she had been, like stale chocolate when you were expecting creamy goodness, but now, instantly he was in front of her.

Paulina thought Daryl would never speak to her again, he had been so angry that day when she told him she felt like they were too young. They had a horrible fight and he left to join the army rather than stay and wait like she asked him to, just until they were older. She did understand, his father was a mean son of a bitch, and both Daryl and Merle had taken the brunt of his anger most of their lives. Paulina had waited for him though and then a few years later, when Daryl didn't come back she married Kevin.

Still, any fight she ever had with Daryl always ended with them hugging each other and making up almost immediately, and she had waited for him to come for her.

"I was hoping to see you, Lina." He said as he reluctantly let go of her, he had held her so tight and it had felt so good to both of them, like coming home to the one you love. Daryl stared into her eyes and then in the middle of the 711 in front of anyone who might see he kissed the side of her mouth like he had just seen her the day before. It was like nothing had changed between them at all.

"Are you passing through Daryl or…"

"Early retirement, Merle and me." He said as she prepared her coffee, light and sweet. "Living at the old man's place and it needs a lot of work, but we both retire soon, so won't have nothing but time after that."

Daryl replied as he looked at her uniform scrubs and then he noticed her name tag, she wasn't Paulina Tarker any more, she had another name now. Daryl glanced down at her left hand with just his eyes trying not to be too obvious, and there sat a thin gold band; she was married, and his heart sunk just a little bit.

"Oh, ya married now?" He uttered before he could stop himself as he looked at her hand, and hoping the sadness didn't come through in his voice too much.

As he paid for both their coffees he tried to think of something, anything to talk to her about. She was not free to be with him and he knew that would be trouble if he pursued anything, sooner or later. But it was just one conversation and surely that was no harm. Just a conversation between two old friends for old times sake.

"You're a nurse now?" He asked, wanting to change the subject and trying to hide his utter disappointment that he wouldn't be sweeping her off her feet like he imagined, "Like you wanted to be?"

She nodded. "I'm on the clock now between patients, I do home visits, can I have your cell number?" Paulina said shocking herself by her own forwardness. She was not making the same mistake twice, if he was back in town, she wanted to see him. "I'd love to get together and catch up."

"Paulina, maybe that isn't such a good idea," He said with a deep sigh as he shoved his change in his pocket, held the door for her and they walked outside. "Don't you think your husband…"

She walked towards her car and he followed her, not wanting the moment to end but knowing it would have to. She was married and therefore off limits to him, for many reasons. Personally, it just wasn't something he did no matter who it was, even if it was her; and professionally, well it was conduct unbecoming an officer, retired or not. That wasn't him.

"Daryl, I can't even begin to tell you how much he won't care." She said, leaning against the car.

And that was how it started, they did exchange phone numbers and both of them knew this was the beginning of something. Someday had finally come for Paulina.

Notes: Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all so much for all the kind words on this story, its a labor of love. This chapter, like a lot of my writing, has bits and pieces of my life woven into it. Also some of my favorite angsty 90's music too :) Enjoy!

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Paulina avoided the 711 the next day, even after she told him she went there every day. Daryl had gone there hoping to see her, but she drove right by without stopping, knowing he would be looking for her. This was wrong and she was so confused, she planned to leave and now she might have a reason but she couldn't bear to hurt Daryl or herself again if it didn't work out for the second time.

They had ended so badly long ago and the fact that they could talk to each other now was amazing, and she wanted more; Paulina was unsure of how to do it, how to get it. What if it did work out though, what if she was letting go of the best thing that ever happened to her, again.

Second chances didn't come along every day and sometimes love knocked you upside the head. It would be foolish to squander this opportunity.

His truck was there, and she saw him casually standing with the guys that hung out there, waiting for her, and maybe trying not to look like that was what he was doing; Daryl would text her if she didn't show up and she'd deal with that later.

It was all too overwhelming and any time she approached the idea of divorce with Kevin in the past he low key threatened to kill her. She didn't really think he would do it, but she knew he didn't love, or even like her very much.

His words and actions made that perfectly clear, he hadn't touched her in two years and she suspected he was even cheating on her although she had no proof. Kevin was not home very often and when he was he was distant as if he didn't want to be there. Over the years Paulina threw herself into motherhood and work, the only joy she had in life.

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When all was said and done Paulina avoided Daryl for two days, finally, she texted him; she couldn't risk seeing him in person, he made her want things that she was sure she'd never have in life. She was thinking of a new life and they had only seen each other once. If she saw him again she might do something foolish, she didn't want to be that girl.

If she could get free, then they might have a chance, but she would never cheat, that wasn't her and she knew it wasn't Daryl either. Despite her suspicions of her husband, she needed a clear conscious, if there was any chance at all for her and Daryl.

During this time that they didn't see each other but they spoke a few times on the phone. It was nice to catch up on each other's lives and she told him about her life since he had left and what it was like now. Paulina had two daughters aged ten and twelve and Daryl wished they were his.

He told her all about the exotic places he went to in the service and how it never compared to being home. They dreamed of one day going to a few of those places together if luck was on their side.

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~~~~Katie was in a car accident with her friend and her mother coming home from the movies.

~~~~Where are you?

~~~~At the hospital, she needs surgery on her arm.

~~~I'll be right there.

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*******I close my door at night  
But they get in all right  
And she turns on the light

I held her hands so tight  
'Cause words don't come out right  
And she sees things at night

Me, I'm closer to the door  
I don't get scared no more  
But I don't know the score

If I could hold them in my hand  
I'd make them understand  
I'm not a haunted mind  
I'm not a thoughtless kind

If I could put them in a jar  
I know they wouldn't scar  
I'd do it if I could  
I hope you know I would*******

Paulina was outside smoking when Daryl pulled into the parking lot and when he saw her there all alone and scared he was struck by the fact that her husband didn't bother to come with her. It was like the man expected her to handle everything herself, and this was his kid that was hurt. What was the point of being in a relationship if you abandoned your partner during the hard times? He made up his mind right then and there to try for this, really try for it.

Seeing her there leaning up against the wall shaking with fear did something to his heart and he never wanted to see her that way again. They could be happy together, he just knew it.

Daryl was across the parking lot in a second and taking her in his strong arms, where she felt so safe already. He ran his hand over her head and back in an attempt to calm her. He could always calm her when they were teenagers.

"Hey," He said, brushing the hair out of her eyes and looking to see if she was alright, "She's OK, she's gonna be OK; this wasn't your fault."

"But, I...let her go," Paulina sobbed. Kevin had pretty much blamed the whole thing on her already and she was buying into his bullshit again.

"Shhhh," Daryl's eyes were so soft and he wouldn't stop looking at her, soon he was leaning closer and then his lips were on hers.

"Where Jilly?" He said when they pulled apart, from the sweetest most chaste kiss.

"With my friend Selena," Paulina answered.

"And?"

"He's home," She hugged Daryl to her and started to cry, big huge sobs, finally able to release some of the stress she had been feeling, "He said he has to work in the morning."

"What a fuckin dick," Daryl sighed and pulled back to gaze at her again, he was glad her husband wasn't there and he knew she wouldn't have texted him if he had been there, "I won't leave you, I won't leave you; I'll stay as long as you need me to."

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When she finally got Katie home the next night Paulina crashed and slept for twelve hours. Daryl never texted her first because he didn't want to cause her trouble and he didn't hear from her for a week. At first, he told himself it was because she was busy, but he knew better by the second and third day.

At least this time he wasn't nineteen years old and convinced he couldn't live without her, he would live. It might be an empty existence but he would live without her. It sure did hurt though, like pulling a scab off an old wound.

Paulina had dumped him for the second time, it was unfortunate because he really loved her, having her in his arms and kissing her had made him want her all the time. Daryl took it hard, after holding her in his arms again, he knew he loved her still. He knew that she was the reason it never worked with anyone else, she was the one.

And he couldn't have her so he had to forget her, just as he always he'd he took to the woods to hunt. He liked to be alone and he feared he was always going to be alone. He couldn't make it work with any other women and he had tried.

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The woods were silent, but a smooth breeze blew through their hair as Daryl stood behind her quiet and helped her aim the crossbow. It was five am and they were out in the woods behind his house. This memory was so real for him, he opened his eyes once and looked up at the ceiling in his room; it was like he was seventeen all over again.

"I can't Daryl, I can't," Paulina felt as if she was going to cry, it wasn't because she had an aversion to hunting or anything like that, not really, although she didn't really eat venison much, even when her own father brought it.

"Relax, we're hunting for our table, remember that, it's ok Lina," He whispered and moved her hand slowly to the trigger and helped her press it. She watched as the arrow flew through the air right into the buck they had been tracking, "You did it baby," He kissed her, once and then again, "I'm so proud of you" he kissed her again, "Once you master this I'm gonna teach you to fight."

His smile was contagious and so exciting, she had never loved a boy the way she loved him, and she was sure she never would again.

"I don't need to know how to fight Daryl," She replied as they walked towards the felled deer.

"Yes you do, someday maybe I won't be around to protect you..."

"Shhhh, of course..."

"We ain't together 24/7 and I wanna make sure you can throw a punch if ya need to," Daryl explained further.

"Anyone tries to get me I'll kick him in the balls." She grabbed his hand, "Don't you worry about me."

"Come on let's go get that deer home and I'll show you what to do next." He took her by the hand.

"Alright, but I'm not drinking the blood like in Red Dawn," Paulina answered.

"Relax," He took her by the hand, "This isn't some apocalypse movie."

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"Fuckin try it Paulina and see what happens." He raged at her a few weeks after Katie's surgery in the kitchen as he threw dish after dish at her. This wasn't the first time, but she swore it would be the last. Paulina saw the kids from the corner of her eye and knew that they couldn't be exposed to this anymore, what kind of example was she setting for them? She had to stop dreaming that her life would be anything except what it was; a fucking mess. It was time to get them all away from this volatile situation or one day they would grow up to think this was normal.

Or maybe he would kill her and take her away from them forever.

The money she had hidden over the years was just ten thousand dollars and she knew it wouldn't last forever, but it had to be now, soon. The fear she saw in those children's eyes haunted her now. She had things in a storage unit too, things they would need to start a new life

The next day she called her friend Selena who told her it was about time and put her in touch with a good lawyer named Sylvia. For the first time in a long time, she felt hopeful, like something was going her way.

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Sylvia leaned forward as she met the eyes of her new client, "Are you involved with anyone?"

"No," Paulina answered, she and Daryl weren't seeing each other anymore. It wasn't a lie and she had deleted all their texts and his phone number.

The lawyer didn't really believe this, but it wasn't her job to believe her client, it was her job to get this divorce over painlessly, if at all possible and to get a fair settlement and child support for Paulina.

"It wouldn't look good if you were, and you need to stay in the house as long as you can, your ex sounds like he would charge you with abandonment. Also, he could charge anyone you are involved with something called alienation of affection and attempt although unlikely to win a settlement from that person."

Kevin was just the kind of jerk off that would try and sue Daryl, she just couldn't put him through it. It could end his career on such a bad note, she had to do this alone. Maybe one day when the divorce was over; but for now she had to set him free.

Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Some flashbacks in this chapter to when they were young :)

 **Chapter Text**

"What's wrong with you brother?" Merle demanded as he sat down next to Daryl as Connie the bartender popped the cap off a beer and sat it in front of him. He nodded a thank you to her, she was getting used to seeing the Dixon brothers there every night lately, and Merle was clearly not happy about it, "Why you getting shitfaced like this night after night?"

Merle had come to find him night after night like this, Daryl worked all day fixing up the house and garage their father left them every day. Then he walked to the saloon just down the street and drank himself until he could barely walk. This was so out of character for him and Merle was confused, something was going on, but he didn't know what.

"Just forget it, Merle you don't wanna know," Daryl replied with a snarl, it had been weeks without contact with her, and she stopped coming to the 711 for coffee. Deep down he understood, she had two little girls to think of, it had been selfish of him to want to take her away, to take those kids away from the only father they had. She didn't want her life disrupted or theirs and he got it, he really did.  
It hurt though. It hurt like it was the first time all over again.

"You need some pussy is what you need, you got too much pent-up stress is all." Merle looked around, "Civilian life ain't easy to adjust to sometimes they say. Where's Jolene, she's usually here and she always had the hots for ya. I bet she'd suck you off out back if ya asked real nice."

"I ain't asking her for shit," Daryl bellowed as he downed another shot of whiskey. He nodded to Connie and she brought him another, but let him know he was getting flagged soon, even if he wasn't driving.  
"You better get your pipes cleaned soon cause you've been a nasty motherfucker all month." Merle persisted and for a moment Daryl wished he could tell him why he was so upset. Merle would not understand, and he would be angry that Daryl had involved himself with a married woman. He would say he was stupid to go following after Paulina Tarker again, especially since that wasn't her name anymore.

She was the only woman he ever drank over, last time and this time and that fact was not lost on Daryl at all. He'd been in relationships over the years and most ended nicely, some not so nice but he never found himself mourning at a bar this way. Not since the last time she broke it off with him.

He'd gotten shitfaced drunk when she had turned him down when they were nineteen and his best friend George and Merle had to carry him home.

That next day he had enlisted, and Merle followed soon after that. All these years he thought he had been over her and that was a dumb assumption on his part. Maybe he would never get over her.

"Let's go hunting this weekend Merle," Daryl babbled as he drifted off to dream of her again.

"Alright brother," Merle said as he shut the door to his room. Maybe a weekend out in the woods would do him good, Merle sure hoped so.

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Paulina's hand was on her phone again for what felt like the millionth time in the past few weeks, she longed to call him. The loneliness she felt now was horrible because happiness had been just with in her reach. So close but so far. It wasn't right "Ghosting" him as the kids said now. She dialed his number so many times and composed so many text messages to him trying to explain, trying to think of a way they could be together.

She was not an affair type of girl and she didn't believe Daryl was either. They had loved each other so much when they were young, and she believed it never went away for either of them, what a tragedy it all was. Sometimes she thought that Kevin would never give her a divorce and she would never be free though.

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They had met when she transferred to Daryl's school from Minnesota in the middle of their sophomore year of school, by summertime they were an item and remained so for three years, all the way until he asked her to marry him and go with him as he traveled the world. Paulina had been afraid then just as she was afraid now. Victims of abuse frequently suffer from a kind of PTSD and she was no different, it manifested itself in fear and anxiety.

She was paralyzed mentally for years, unable to move forward with her plan and now she wanted to so desperately. There was something more out there for her and she wanted it, she wanted it with a desperation she hadn't felt for years, but she didn't know how to get it.

When they were young it was a different kind of fear, the fear of the unknown, and some of it still was, but now she was afraid for her kids' well-being also. It was much more than just running away with a boy this time.

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As she laid in bed night after night, she remembered things about her life with Daryl when they were young. She remembered that he used to pick her up for school every day in that beat-up truck he used to have, and how happy she was every day running down the steps of her house to him. She remembered first kisses, his beautiful blue eyes and sweet things about them once upon a time.  
He had been the first person she had ever really loved, he had been her first everything.

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*********You sit there in your heartache, waiting for some beautiful boy to save you from your old ways. You play forgiveness, watch it now here he comes, he doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman. *******

"Hey," Daryl pushed the hair from her face and gazed into her eyes as they laid together on the bed in his room as the sun went down outside his window. He loved looking at his beautiful girl and he spent a lot of time either looking at her or thinking of her.

"Hey," She smiled up at him with a blush in her cheeks, they were both sixteen, experimenting with each other and doing things neither of them had ever done before.

"Did you like that?" He asked with searching eyes, this was all so new to both of them. He tried to remember what to do and he hoped it had been good for her. He had never gone down on a girl before, and he had been just desperate enough to ask Merle what to do in advance.

She nodded and closed her eyes as her face burned and she reached for her t-shirt on the floor right away to cover up.

"I liked it a lot," She grinned and hid her face from him with the t-shirt, he knew she had liked it, she'd screamed and trembled when she came, and he almost lost it in his pants because of it. Then she had touched him, and it was all over, and it was perfect.

"Me too, you taste so good and it was real nice having someone's hands on my dick besides mine for a change." He moved closer and pulled her to him, "Don't cover up yet, I wanna look at you some more and I promise I still respect you, I promise."

He closed his eyes and kissed the girl he knew he was going to love the rest of his life.

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At the age of thirty-four, it seemed so silly now how girls worried about what boys thought about them where sex was involved. She had kept Daryl at arm's length for a long time she remembered but eventually, they had goofy "first-time sex", then a lot of really good "now I know what you like" sex and a pregnancy scare just before he proposed to her.

Deep down she always had thought that was why he had proposed, and it was part of the reason she had said no; she regretted that he was not the father of her children now.

Paulina was not ready to be a mother at nineteen, that pregnancy scare had scared the shit out of her. She couldn't wait to be a mother, but not then and now she was. But now all that dumb stuff about boys respecting you meant nothing, and it never really did. The problems of adulthood were so much more and so different. Adulthood sucked sometimes, and you had to make choices that involved other people and you never knew if you were doing things the right way.

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****And sometimes you close your eyes and see the place you used to live when you were young****

Daryl laid back on his bed and lit a cigarette, still thinking of her, still wasted. Merle had dragged him home again and now he laid there drunk in the bed he'd been in with her all those years ago. There had never been another girl in this room and that just made it worse. Coming back might have been a mistake. He hadn't known she would still be here, but he had hoped.  
Well, she was here alright.

****We're burning down the highway skyline  
On the back of a hurricane  
That started turning  
When you were young. ******

He closed his eyes and she was there with him; the memories flooded his mind like the wave that once hit him in Thailand and he'd almost drowned. Daryl remembered one of the many times Merle was banging on the door telling them to keep it down and both of them laughing under the blankets like a couple of kids, stopping only long enough to turn up the music. There were times when they went at it so hard it seemed like the bed was going to break, but it never did.

They had always had so much fun together when they were young and this room reminded him all too much of those times.

He remembered walking down the hall at school with his arm around Paulina and all the guys busting his balls for macking on the new girl right away. The truth was, she was the only girl that interested him. Before he met her, he didn't really date much, but after they were just always together until they weren't. And it had never really been the same with anyone else, and he had tried to capture that first love feeling again, maybe he would never feel that again.

When he turned around in the store that day and saw her standing there, he thought he was getting a second chance. How wrong he had been.


	4. Chapter 4

I decided to post two chapters today, enjoy :)

 **Chapter Text**

The days moved slowly again, and paperwork took forever, Paulina was walking through quicksand now and wishing for it to all be over. She went to work, came home and took care of her girls, and most importantly avoided Kevin as much as possible because she was done.

She longed to call Daryl, but she didn't know what to say now, it had been too long without contact, and she had blown it. It was so much like the last time, she got fearful and shut down on him, but this time was worse. This time she had a glance at what life could be, how different and that made it hurt worse.

One day maybe her life wouldn't be so fucked up, one day.

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Finally, after a few weeks Daryl stopped getting trashed every night and whatever was bothering him was out of his system it seemed. Merle was glad of that, Daryl had been drinking up all the profits of the garage, and they had just opened. They couldn't afford to flush money down the drain on alcohol, eventually, Daryl had figured that out by himself.

For a week or so he had straightened his shit out and Merle hoped whatever was bothering him had blown over. Then at three pm on a Tuesday afternoon, something blew into the garage and Merle had an instant bad feeling about it.

Merle watched as a woman he didn't recognize pulled up and got out of her car. She was a tall hot blonde drink of water and he watched her intently as she zeroed in on his brother. So, this was the reason...  
His brother could do worse...

"I'm Selena Kyle, Paulina's friend," The woman said to Daryl as he stood up from the car he was working on and assessed her, "You're Daryl, right?"

She held her fine porcelain hand out to shake his.

Merle watched as Daryl wiped his hands on his coveralls, pulled a red rag out of his back pocket and nodded his head to the woman he had never seen before, then he shook her hand pleasantly. Daryl did not look pleased to see her though and Merle wished he could hear what the fuck was going down, but he was in the office and it would look bad if he came out just to listen to his brother's conversation.  
God damn, he wanted to though.

"I've been looking for you." The woman continued.

'Why?" He asked, "I haven't heard from Paulina in weeks," Then he added, "She OK?"

"She's filed for divorce, her lawyer told her to restrict contact with you." She answered as if this was going to make him feel better.

"She tell you to come here and tell me that?"

Selena shook her head, "She doesn't know I'm here."

Daryl lit a cigarette and inhaled it, "Then why are you here?"

"Because she's my friend, she told me about you and she's miserable right now," Selina replied, "Someone had to do…something."

He didn't answer.

"I can't stand seeing her this way...she thinks she blew it with you."

"Then she doesn't know me at all ..."

He stood there for a minute smoking and hoping this woman would just leave, but she didn't. He knew there was only one way to get her out of his face.

"Selena, go on home and tell her to call me if she wants to. Tell her to stop being a coward and that I'm not going anywhere."

He threw down his cigarette and stomped it out under his boot.

"She knows how to find me."

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Merle sauntered out of the office as soon as Selena left and whistled to Daryl who ignored him as he shoved the red rag back into his pocket. He continued working on the engine he was doing before Selena came in and rocked his world in this unusual way.

"Who was that nice piece?" Merle began, "She the reason you been drinking every night?"

"Ain't like that," Daryl said carefully, "She's a friend of a friend."

Daryl winced, no way Merle was going to buy this bull shit.

"What friend?"

"Let it be Merle, don't wanna talk about it." He brought his eyes to his brother's and they stared each other down. Merle could tell Daryl wasn't budging and he wasn't telling, but he knew this woman had something to do with his piss poor attitude lately and he would find out why soon enough.

"Well great then," Merle huffed, "Guess your precarious sobriety is down the drain again, then right?"

"Whatever you think Merle," Daryl responded, "It won't get out of hand again. I'll come shoot pool with you and Axel Friday night, I won't get smashed, alright?"

Merle nodded because what else could he do, this was his brother and he loved him. Whatever was on his mind he didn't want to talk about it. Merle would start some investigating on his own, but in the meantime, he'd be as supportive as he could.

Merle had a feeling this was about a woman and wasn't that always the way.

"You're driving brother so don't even think of getting plowed, you got that?" Merle answered, and Daryl nodded in affirmative.

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"Paulina I'm gonna kill you!" Kevin yelled as he chased her into the bathroom and tried to stop her from shutting the door. For a second he almost got the best of her but she got the door shut. He had done this before, but she was always faster; this time she dialed her phone as she slammed the door and locked it. First, she wanted to call Daryl, but she didn't want to get him into this, so she dialed 911.

"You are a fucking bitch!" Kevin yelled at the door as he banged on it. Paulina was just glad the girls were at her mother's house for the night. She had tried to stay out of his way all night, but sometimes that didn't matter if he was mad or had a burr up his ass over something that happened that day there was no avoiding a confrontation.

He had come home mad and picked a fight over the girl's not being home, even though Paulina had discussed that with him previously and he knew they were going for the weekend because she had to work, and god forbid, he was an actual father to them for one day. She always sent them to her mothers so he could do his thing on the weekends if she was working.

Kevin did not "babysit," one day Paulina tried to explain that if it was your own kids it wasn't babysitting it was parenting and he'd told her to shut the fuck up. So she never mentioned that again and started sending them to her mother.

Sometimes she thought he just wanted to fight, like this time; he knew damn well the kids would be away.

By the time the police got there, he had gotten the door down and had slapped her just as the cops arrived. He somehow got his hands on her neck before they took him away, but she had punched him in the face. The police suggested she go to the ER to be checked out, but she declined.

There was only one place Paulina wanted to be and she wasn't even going to call first.

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*****Sappy pathetic little me  
That was the girl I used to be  
You had me on my knees  
I'd trade you places any day  
I'd never thought you could be that way  
But you looked like me on Sunday  
Oh, you came in with the breeze  
On Sunday morning  
You sure have changed since yesterday  
Without any warning  
I thought I knew you (whoa)  
I thought I knew you (whoa)  
I thought I knew you well... so well******

"It's not you darlin, it's me, you are fine as fuck Jolene, I just..." Daryl said as he looked at the gorgeous woman in front of him. He was a goddamn fool. Jolene had always been hot, a cheerleader on Paulina's squad and she would have fucked him in an instant then, but gorgeous didn't matter if you were in love with someone else, unfortunately, then or now. He and Jolene had known each other since they were kids, she had never gotten out of the town and she had never married. Merle was right, Jolene had always been sweet on Daryl, but he clearly was not into her.

He and Jolene had been at the bar for a while, sitting together and they were each having a beer, but then Daryl intended to switch to coke and just hang out with Merle. He would join Merle soon, who was playing pool with Axel, his friend that worked on the road crew at present.

It had been a week or so of Daryl being sober and in better spirits but now it seemed to Merle that his brother was right back where he was before, and he still couldn't figure out what was wrong.  
Merle made up his mind that he was going to find out come hell or high water. This shit was about some woman, he just knew it. Furthermore, he had a sneaking suspicion of who the woman might be. He would have to do some investigating and find out if she still lived here.

"Go home Daryl, whoever she is she's one lucky bitch," Jolene said as she lit a cigarette, a woman could tell when there was no chance and there was no chance with him.

"I'm sorry, it ain't you." Daryl apologized, "You're great Jolene you really are and I'm a dumb ass."

As if on cue Paulina walked in, she had gone past Daryl's house looking for him, then saw his truck parked out in front of The Shack, the local bar. With a smile on her face, she walked through the door, hoping to tell him she had changed her mind, hoping they could start a new life together.

She was giddy with anticipation and grinning like a fool and for the first time in her life, she didn't care.

Her husband had just beat her ass and she had given as good as she had got. She was exhausted and exhilarated both at the same time and she couldn't wait to see Daryl. With anticipation in her eyes Paulina looked around the bar for him, he had to be here, his truck was.

Her smile fell as she spotted him, and she watched Jolene lean over to him. They were talking intimately, and she had her hand on his shoulder, it was a cozy scene. As if he sensed her there, in slow motion he turned and saw her standing there. In the darkness of the bar it was hard to see but then his eyes went wide; she looked like she had been in a fight.

Her face was all red as if she had been crying, her hair was messy and she had the beginnings of a black eye it looked like to him. That motherfucker had put his hands on her and Daryl's blood was boiling at the sight of her this way.

Paulina was out the door after she saw them together, of course, he had moved on, she was stupid to come looking for him now after so much time and Daryl was right after her, after excusing himself politely from Jolene. The woman nodded with a slight grin; Paulina Tarker, she should have known.

Apparently, it was on again with them, but did Daryl know she was married now? That was none of her business and she just glanced over to Merle who hadn't seen Daryl leave. That was good, she was sure Daryl wasn't trying to bring all the drama to this place tonight.

Jolene couldn't help it and she smiled to herself and nodded, true love just never died did it, and she wished she would find something like that, something that was bigger than time and distance.

Then she lit a cigarette and ordered another beer, this was one clusterfuck she was grateful not to be involved in.

When Daryl got out into the parking lot he couldn't see Paulina at all.

Notes: Thank you for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

There's some flashbacks in this chapter and in the coming ones, I do love my flashbacks ? More stuff from my life too, sorry about it ?

******You're trying my shoes on for a change  
They look so good but fit so strange  
Out of fashion, so I can't complain

Oh, you came in with the breeze  
On Sunday morning  
You sure have changed since yesterday  
Without any warning  
I thought I knew you (whoa)  
I thought I knew you (whoa)  
I thought I knew you well... so well

I know who I am, but who are you?  
You're not looking like you used to  
You're on the other side of the mirror  
So nothing's looking quite as clear. *****

Sunday Morning by No Doubt

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Paulina was almost to her car when Daryl caught up to her and he reached for her shoulder to stop her from getting in, but he was gentle with her at the same time. It seemed she had been man handled enough that night and maybe her whole life since he'd been gone. He had left her and so much had happened to both of them; it made his head spin.

Daryl had taught her how to fight back in the day and it looked like she had put it to good use. That made him proud of her, and gave him a thrill that he was the one that taught her.

She turned to him and he saw that she was crying, and she was going to have a black eye. He could not believe that motherfucker had put his hands on her like that.

"What did he do to you?" Daryl growled.

"I'm fine," She answered, "Go on back to Jolene, looked like you were about to get lucky."

"There ain't nothing going on between me and Jolene and you know it!"

"Please, I'm not stupid..."

"Just stop right there," Daryl held his hand up, "You're the one who dumped me, again, remember? We'll have that conversation later..."

She crossed her arms in front of her and said nothing, knowing that would drive him crazy, it used to when they were younger anyway. Daryl snarled as he looked at the bruises on her, there were hand prints on her neck, all over her arms and he just couldn't handle it.

"You got ten seconds to tell me what happened then I'm gonna go kick the shit out of him!"

"You can't!"

"Watch me Lina!" Daryl growled.

"He's in jail, he's got a black eye too." She ran her hand through her hair and Daryl's lip quirked just a little bit, he had been the one to teach her how to throw a punch, "Look I was stupid, I was afraid, but I'm not anymore. I promise and I'm divorcing him..."

"Your friend Selena told me..."

"What?" Paulina cried. "What!"

"Don't be mad at her, she was trying to help I guess." He stated as they both leaned against the car, "She came by the garage a day or two ago."

Paulina didn't answer, and the silence was deafening, so Daryl lit a cigarette, offered it to her and she took it. He lit one for himself, inhaled and blew the smoke out as he looked up at the night sky. Neither of them spoke as they smoked and tried to calm down and finally it was his voice that broke the silence.

"So, we doin this for real or what?"

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Paulina poured out what was in her heart to him and now weeks and weeks after she first set eyes on him in the 711 after so long apart, as they sat on his truck bed that night, he asked her to marry him again.

They weren't silly enough to think this wasn't going to be easy, but they were dropped into each other's lives again and that meant something. If she had said she was happily married, Daryl would have walked away, but she was not happy, and her eyes begged him to stay. She told him everything.

It was as if the last fifteen years had not happened, the conversation between them was still easy and friendly and finally he kissed her that night, the way he wanted to, and she melted against him.

She also told him she wasn't interested in an affair, she would not see him other than for coffee until she was divorced officially. That was OK with Daryl, he respected that, and everyone needed a goal to work towards.

Now to get her free.

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They kissed goodbye one last time and Paulina left to go to Selena's for the night, but not before they discussed it all. She was staying at the house under the advice of her lawyer and Kevin would come home. She started to tell Daryl again that it was going to get rough, but that she loved him all her life and finally they were going to be together again.

"I don't care Paulina, I'll wait as long as I have to," Daryl answered, "You got that, there's no one else for me, never was."

She sighed as he hugged her tight, she hugged him back just as tight, but it was bittersweet.

"Sylvia, my lawyer, she thinks I need to stay in the house as long as I can." She answered, "But I'm afraid."

"Then I'm getting you out," Daryl answered and just like that it was decided.

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Daryl woke up with a smile on his face after that conversation with her, it was a Saturday morning and Merle had happily complimented him on not getting trashed the night before, life was good. He had to tell Merle, he knew that, but not yet; he imagined her waking up in her house and possibly thinking of him he hoped. The attraction they had felt as teenagers had not gone away, even after traveling the world and having relationships with many different kinds of women it was the girl from his childhood that captivated him.

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Sylvia advised Paulina to stay at the house and Kevin was pissed; convinced and demanding to know who she was fucking.

This was the kind of man he was, but she and Daryl were going to work this out somehow. She didn't want to hurt her kids, but she had told Daryl that she suspected they knew what their father was.

Somehow this second chance was going to happen, he couldn't wait for their new life together, but he liked to revisit their old life too sometimes.

The scrapbook was old that he pulled out from under his bed and turned the dusty pages filled with pictures of him and Merle as kids, of cars they had once had until he found the picture of them. They had been on his motorcycle, young and in love; they had been so innocent then. What he didn't know was that Paulina had that very same picture tucked under a box of pens in her desk.

He also didn't know that five years ago Paulina had remarked to Selena that she would never get married again once she was finally divorced from Kevin, unless Daryl came back to town. Selena was from North Dakota and had not grown up there, so she had no idea who this Daryl was. But she remembered that conversation and that was why she hunted down Daryl Dixon that day.

That day, five years ago when no one was around Paulina had showed her friend that picture and Selena had remembered what he looked like; to her he looked like the all American, blue eyed boy. It wasn't hard to see why Paulina couldn't forget him, he was blonde with the deepest most soulful eyes Selena had ever seen.

That was why Selina had gone to see him, Paulina had mentioned he was back in town and that they had seen each other, but she didn't think it was going to work out. Selina had other ideas and Daryl was grateful for that.

His girl had married another man, but that didn't matter, they were meant to be from the start, from the first time they ever laid eyes on each other. She was and always would be his girl.

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Now for some more of their early life together.

******He doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman, like you remember when you were young*****

Paulina kicked the back door that lead to the smoking section at school open with her Doc Marten's and came outside to smoke in between each class that first day. This was hell and it was too fucking hot. She was used to Minneapolis and its always cold weather, this place sucked ass as far as she was concerned.

She lit a cigarette as she walked through the crowd of people in the smoking section that was the only good thing about this place; this new school blew. Already she hated the first few classes and the girls were a bunch of bitches. Back home she had been a cheer leader and she wanted to try for the team here too, but one of the girls told her she was a little too "My So-Called Life" for the cheer squad.

They said she would never fit in. She didn't wear dresses, she preferred jeans and her dark brown hair was currently dyed red. That was just the way she was, what was wrong with that anyway?

Paulina happened to like that show too, as opposed to that other trash teenage show that everyone here loved. Fuck that shit! The cheer squad, oh she was going to try out anyway, and furthermore, she'd be the captain, just for spite. Fuck those bitches, Jolene Morrison didn't know what she was talking about anyway.

This moment was coming in her life that later she would remember forever with a fondness and regret for what could have been.

Against the wall, as she walked by, she noticed a group of kids, an older boy, probably a senior with a raspy voice and wicked laugh telling a joke to the group of maybe five boys and three girls and another boy, younger, that resembled the older boy only, with long blonde hair.

They were all laughing at something the older one said and just as she passed, younger boy turned with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth as if he heard her coming. Paulina almost tripped over her own feet at the sight of him. He was beautiful, her own Jordan Catalano come to life, right down to the leather choker he wore completed with a red flannel shirt.

The boy breathed the smoke in without touching the cigarette at all, it just dangled there between his lips and his steel blue eyes tracked her as she walked by. They never took their eyes from each other and Paulina smiled to herself but kept her face neutral because that's what you do in high school. Perhaps this school wasn't going to be so bad after all though she thought to herself. He nodded once, and she returned the gesture while they stared at each other openly as she passed his group and that was the beginning of it all.

Daryl remembered that day like it was yesterday, she had on jeans and a concert shirt, The Killers, and a long denim coat. Her dark red hair was glossy and bright in the early morning sunlight and suddenly he couldn't wait to go to school every day.


	6. Chapter 6

So, this really happened just so you know, this first section.

 **Chapter Text**

Days went by with just random text messages and no contact face to face as long as he could and finally he couldn't take it anymore. He was not letting her slip through his fingers again. No fucking way. He was never going to leave her to be beat up by that motherfucker again.

Daryl just fucking called her, and Paulina snuck into the bathroom to talk to him, saying she couldn't get away to see him.

"I don't give a fuck, be at the Barns and Noble on Maple Street, give me ten minutes!" Daryl hollered into the phone at her. Her soon to be ex-husband was out of jail and she had gone to ground again for a day, this time he called her.

There was no way he was going without weeks of contact again and no way they were going to give up on each other. He grabbed the scrapbook out from under his bed and hauled ass out of there before Merle woke up.

He sidled up next to her in the true crime section of the store and handed her a coffee, made just how she liked it, light and sweet. There was something so tawdry about what they were doing even if they were two friends meeting in a book store.

"Didn't take you for a true crime person."

"There's a lot you don't know about me..." She teased with a wink and he brought his hand to cup her cheek.

"I'm looking forward to learning it all over again, for the rest of my life," He stared into her eyes and brought his lips to hers softly, "Brought ya something." He said, and he handed her the scrapbook, she remembered it and broke out into a grin, "Carried this damn thing around with me country to country," Daryl explained.

"Daryl," She brought her hand to her face and the expression there melted his heart, she looked like she was going to cry and he didn't know what he'd done.  
"Don't cry honey," He pulled her closer to him, "It's going to be ok…"

"I still have it," She blubbered into his shoulder, "I still have the cedar chest." and then tears slid down her face. She was ugly crying and she didn't even care.

He had bought her a cedar chest when they were younger, a hope chest of sorts. It was old fashioned even for those times, but he had wanted to give it to her as a promise.

Daryl had been sure she would have burned it long ago, "I've had it all this time and been dragging it from house to house all these years." She whispered.

Daryl was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say, he had forgotten about that chest years ago. Once long ago it had meant so much to both of them, it was a promise that was broken and the thought that she still had it amazed his jaded mind. The knowledge that she brought it with her everywhere she went for fifteen years, just knocked him off his feet so to speak. It was huge and heavy, but so were their feelings for each other.

"What did you tell him it was?" He pulled her closer to him.

"I told him it was mine and he was never to touch it," She answered, and he could tell it had brought her trouble with Kevin over the years, but she kept it anyway. Daryl couldn't take his eyes away from her, they had loved each other all this time and for so long that neither could part with their last pieces of each other.

"Oh honey," He pulled her close again, aware that it was so risky for them to be showing affection to each other in public.

As she laid her head on his shoulder, she remembered the day he gave it to her, when he brought her the old chest that he bought at the goodwill store.

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*******Can we climb this mountain  
I don't know  
Higher now than ever before  
I know we can make it if we take it slow  
Let's take it easy  
Easy now  
Watch it go ********

"What is that?" She asked as she watched him pull it out of the bed of his truck on a sunny fall day after they had been together a while. Paulina had her hand up to her face because the sun was shining directly behind him, his hair looked so blonde at that moment, and his eyes were sparkling with mischief. She loved him more than anything then, he was her everything.

"My Ma had one," He pulled at it and wiped his brow with the red rag he always kept in his back pocket as he turned to her, "She said it was a hope chest, her Ma bought it for her, to keep stuff in for when she got married."

They both knew how his mother's marriage had turned out, Daryl's father was a son of a bitch, and his mother had died in a fire.

None of that mattered because they were sure this was the real deal. They would be different, they would break the cycle and make a happy life together, they were so sure of it.  
"I saw it at the Goodwill store and I had to get it for you."

"Who says I'm gonna marry you?" She teased, and he stood up in the truck and looked down at her.

"Oh, you'll marry me," He answered simply as he looked both ways to make sure no one was around then grabbed a hold of the front of his pants, "You're addicted to this right here." He declared with a laugh and held his hand out to her.

Paulina laughed, "You think we can live on sex?" She asked as he pulled her up next to him in the bed of the truck, "You got the answer to my prayers in your pants?" She teased back.

"Maybe, and if not, we'll have a chest of stuff to get started." He put his arm around her, "Happy Birthday sweetheart."

"Happy Birthday to you too," She kissed him, softly then more demanding, digging her hands into his hair, pushing his lips apart with hers and kissing him the way she had wanted to all day, "I got your present inside."

"I hope it involves that mouth," He took her hand and placed it over the bulge in his jeans, "Right there." He groaned into her ear.

"I also got you that torque wrench or whatever it is that you wanted," She said with a laugh as he held her hand there, "Come on." She took his hand and turned towards the house, "No one's home, we can wish each other happy birthday right now."

She jumped down and he followed her up the stairs to the house, as soon as they were inside, he was on her, pushing her against the door and diving in for a hot, wet kiss.

"Why didn't you tell me no one was home," He said in between kisses while his hands traveled over her body as she broke away briefly to lead him up the stairs to her room.

"I liked watching all your muscles ripple as you pulled that chest," She answered with amusement as she opened the door to her bedroom and Daryl was faced with her white eyelet bed complete with pillows and frills.

He stopped for just a minute, taking in what this was. Then she took his hand.

"You ever have a guy in your room before," He asked as she led him towards the bed while they each peeled off their clothes as if they had been doing it for a lifetime together. Her shoes and his boots came off and they stood before each other naked and unafraid.

"You know I haven't," She answered as they both crawled on the bed eager to get at each other, it was always like that once they had gotten over the initial shyness and awkwardness they both had.

"How much time do we have?"

"They won't be home for hours."

"Good," He answered, and he was already kissing and licking her neck and running his hands over her breast, "Oh fuck I can't get enough of you."

Paulina shifted and rolled them, so she was on top of them and kissed down his chest and further as he touched her hair.

"Oh yeah baby," He looked down as she was just getting down to his throbbing cock, and tugged on her hair just a bit, "Happy Birthday to me."

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It was all so simple then to him and maybe to both of them and so complicated now. Now they had to sneak around and hide in the back of bookstores to see each other. It didn't matter at that moment as they both remembered the second birthday they spent together. They had found out by accident that they shared a birthday, it had been Merle who found that out first and made the most of it.

"That was the day my parents came home, and we were asleep," Paulina laughed.

"And I had to climb out the window and pretend to be in the back yard unloading the chest," He pulled her to him and under his arm, "I remember." He kissed the side of her head.  
"Me too." She answered and then added, "We'll be OK, we're going to be OK."

Daryl nodded and took her hand, "Yeah, we are."

Notes: Thank you for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few chapters are flashbacks, then we get back to present time.

Daryl had given her the scrap book and she remembered it from when they were teenagers together. As she laid on her bed looking at it, prepared to hide it when Kevin came home, she was reminded of the way she and Daryl used to be. There was nothing like first love, nothing like it in the world.

She remembered the first time she saw him at school standing there with Merle and their friends outside in the smoking section of the school. He was in her grade and in a few of her classes. He wore a concert T shirt with a thermal shirt under it, a flannel shirt over it, jeans and work boots and he was just about the most interesting thing she had seen in that dead-beat school so far. After she was happily surprised that he was in her grade and in a few of her classes.

It had all been so much simpler then.

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****They say the devil's water  
It ain't so sweet  
You don't have to drink right now  
But you can dip your feet  
Every once in a little while *****

It was two days before Halloween and her sixteenth birthday that day, but just another day as far as she was concerned. Paulina was trapped in teenage apathy as many were at her age, that feeling that you were waiting for something, anything to happen and yet it never did.

It was just another day to Daryl too as he sat staring out the window during honors English class and wishing he was away, anywhere but here. Someday he was going to light right out of this town but now it was just another day of thinking about her, the unreachable one.

Paulina was the new girl, she was in his grade, and in most of his classes, in fact, he had known her or known who she was for a while now. But she didn't know he existed, he was sure of that, even as occasionally she smiled at him in the hallway and made him blush.

Daryl was sure he was just another face in the sea of faces she saw every day. Still, she did smile at him sometimes, and that was something.

Merle always teased him when that happened, and Daryl always told him to shut the fuck up about it, but his brother knew, and he was the only one who knew about how he felt about her.

She smiled at everyone; he knew that for a fact because he was very aware of what she did, still, he liked to imagine that her smile for him was just a little different.

But they were miles away in social status, Paulina was a cheerleader, and he was, well he was just a boy from the wrong side of the tracks.

If she noticed him, it wasn't _like that._

Oh, what he would have given to be that boy, the one that got to kiss her and touch her beautiful hair. But it was never going to happen, and he knew that. Still, he thought about her a lot; he had never had a crush on a girl before and truthfully, he didn't like it at all.

There were plenty of girls from his neighborhood that liked him, but to him, they were uninteresting and just, not her. He never gave them the time of day, which caused his seventeen-year-old brother great distress.

Merle couldn't understand if these girls were throwing it at him, why wasn't he taking it. They all partied together in the woods, lit bonfires and drank whatever alcohol they could jack from their parents. Girls came on to Daryl, and he always walked away.

They weren't her.

Daryl didn't hear the teacher calling his name as he stared out the window. "Dixon…"

No answer, he was mentally touching Paulina's beautiful hair, and she was leaning closer to his face, about to kiss him.

"Dixon!" The teacher, Mr. Coleman yelled, and that startled Daryl out of his fantasy. He looked over from the window, with his eyes cast down, because she was looking at him now. Mr. Coleman had been handing out assignments for a group project, but Daryl had been lost in his thoughts, as usual. He had been paired up with her.

 _Fuck, he had to work with her, it was a dream come true and a nightmare._

"Yes," Daryl answered.

"So, what would you say is the primary defect in the character of Jay Gatsby then Mr. Dixon."

"Envy," Daryl answered. _He knew all about envy._ "Greed, at times, consumption of things and people."

Mr. Coleman was taken aback. The kid _had read the book._

"I look forward to more insight from you Mr. Dixon; now this is not an independent study, I expect this to be a group effort, at least twice a week you should be meeting to work on this. So, everyone get out some paper and get each other's phone numbers."

 _Fuck._

People were already exchanging numbers with each other across the room. He chanced a glance Paulina's 's way, then he sat back in his seat and tried to make his heart to stop racing and the panic he now felt go away. Merle would tell him just to be cool, but he couldn't, not when it came to her. She was the only person who ever affected him that way. She was everything.

Now he would have to talk to her, instead of just passing her in the hallway and wishing he could think of something to say.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The day he turned sixteen was a day that changed his life forever. It started like any other day, he went to school and got embarrassed in English because he was day dreaming. When he got home, Merle was fired up to go out and party and insisted he come out. Merle said he had a present for him, and Daryl was suspicious right from the jump.

Merle's idea of a present didn't match Daryl's sometimes, most times.

The bonfire was huge and in the woods behind the trailer park where Merle and Daryl lived. It seemed like all the kids from the neighborhood between the ages of twelve and twenty had shown up. Merle had the gift of gab, and he was popular at school and around the neighborhood.

Daryl was quiet and kept to himself, and he liked it that way most of the time. Sometimes he loosened up if he had a few beers, but he didn't like the way it made him feel and was too close to home, and the old man for him.

But Merle never stopped trying to get him out there, if he wouldn't put himself out there, like tonight and this party which was all Merle's idea.

He appreciated his brother's efforts, but he wanted to be home asleep, where he might dream of her.

Daryl bet that Paulina knew who Merle was, all the girls did, and they followed him around like mice following the pied piper in that song that was playing on the boom box that someone had brought.

 _Just like the pied piper, led rats through the streets..._

Daryl nursed his beer as he watched his brother making time with a girl already and they had just gotten there. His friends hadn't arrived yet, but he knew they would be, so he was content to stare into the fire and think.

How was he going to talk to her tomorrow? How could he keep it together long enough to do this project?

Before too long, one of the girls from the trailer park he and Merle knew sat down next to him. Her name was Shelly; she was nineteen, and still in high school having been left back twice. She was dumb as a brick, as Merle would say, but a sweet girl. She was not Daryl's type at all though.

Merle didn't much care how smart a girl was, but Daryl did. Plus, he felt like Shelly acted dumb on purpose and he didn't like that at all. Daryl liked smart girls, someone he could have a conversation with if he could ever get over himself to actually start a conversation with Paulina.

"Hey Daryl," Shelly said as she scooted closer to him on the log he was sitting on. Already she was too close and too much in his space; he didn't like people to be too close to him. Their father was a mean drunk and more than once Daryl or Merle or both of them got the business end of his belt.

Merle wasn't as twitchy as Daryl was, they had both turned out differently, even though they went through the same experience. But Daryl had issues with personal space and touching, Merle wasn't that way at all.

"Hey Shelly," He said looking through the crowd for Merle and not seeing him. Now Iron Maiden was on, and Shelly hummed as the music played. Daryl was leery already about why she was talking to him instead of Merle, which was her usual way.

 _So, understand, don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years, face up make a stand…_

"Sixteen huh?" Shelly said, but Daryl wasn't listening, it was evident that he wasn't going to pay attention to her and she didn't like that at all. Merle always wanted her to hit on Daryl and she wanted to please him. So, she continued, "Nice night."

"I guess," Daryl answered almost absentmindedly wishing he was anywhere but here.

Then Shelly put her hand on his knee.

 _Oh hell no._

"How about a little birthday gift Daryl?" She said reaching over his thigh, and towards his belt buckle, he quickly pushed her hand away, "You're not jail bait anymore."

 _Oh, fuck no. Was this Merle's present? Jesus fucking Christ!_

"Come on Shelly stop."

"It's OK Daryl; you're sixteen now." Shelly tried again to grab his dick practically, and he stood up to get away from her.

"So, what?" Daryl replied even though he knew what she was getting at.

"What are you saving it for marriage or something?" She said standing up, in apparent disgust now at being rejected. Merle was full of shit; this kid was gay for sure.

"You got a girl," Shelly asked with a grin, "Is that it? I won't tell, don't worry."

"No."

"Do you even like girls?" She continued.

"I'm not going to even answer that," He said as he saw some friends coming through the crowd on the other side of the fire, "Don't act this way Shelly, you're better than that."

He stared at her, and she met his eyes in defiance.

"You don't want me anyway," Daryl nodded towards Merle. "You want him, and everyone knows it. This ain't the way to get close to him."

He nodded his head towards Merle who was laughing and throwing back a beer in a huge gulp with a crowd of people around him.

Daryl sighed, sometimes he wished he could be more like Merle, but he couldn't, they were so alike in some ways and others so different. He couldn't be outgoing, and he couldn't let people close to him physically. He wished sometimes that it would change, really wished.

Then walking through the field that was behind Merle and their friends he saw her, surrounded by the smoke from the fire like an apparition and coming right towards him like a dream. It was Paulina, with that long denim jacket on that he loved blowing in the breeze behind her, he closed his eyes to make sure she was real.

It couldn't be, who would have told her to come and why would she?

Shelly just got up and left; the look on his face when he saw the new girl at school coming told the other girl she didn't stand a chance now. As far as Shelly was concerned, he did have a girl, and that was her.

"Your brother invited me because it's my birthday too." Paulina said as she walked up to him.

*******He doesn't look a thing like Jesus  
But he talks like a gentleman  
Like you imagined  
When you were young, when you were young*****

Then Daryl turned and saw his brother looking at him, Merle winked once and gave him a quick thumbs up, as if to say, "I got your foot in the door, now don't blow it."


	8. Chapter 8

All smut not sorry. Here's some awkward teenage first time sex, hahahahah.

She smelled like coconuts and the beach that first night and every night after that until it was over between them three years after. Daryl's mother had taken him and Merle to the beach in Savannah when they were little, and he remembered the smell of the fresh sea water. Paulina smelled like that. Even years later, in other countries the smell of the beach always reminded him of her and that first night at the bonfire when Merle had done him a solid and changed his life forever.

333333333333333333333333333333333

"You know what to do right?" Merle asked as he and Daryl sat on their front porch smoking a few days later after school, but before the old man got home, "You've thought about it right."

There was no question about what Merle was talking about and Daryl wanted to crawl under a rock. Of course, he thought about _it; it was all he thought about._

Daryl nodded as a blush crept up his cheek; he had thought about it, a lot and he and Paulina had done some things that even when he remembered them right here on the front porch with Merle, he felt like he'd explode.

"You just got to be gentle, when you touch her, and use your mouth... everywhere, girls love it." Merle's eyes twinkled. "If she says no, even if she said yes before, you stop. A yes can become a no and it's no, you shut that shit down right away."

"I know that Merle," Daryl sighed, what did Merle think he was anyway? "I wouldn't force her to do anything."

"And, "Merle pointed to him, much to Daryl's horror and said, "Don't even try to fuck her unless you make her cum, you got that?"

Daryl's face heated, and he was embarrassed even be talking about such things with Merle. With his luck he'd never be able to pull any of this off the right way anyway.

"Relax brother; I'm gonna tell you how to."

Oh God no! Merle went into the house and a few minutes later came back out after leaving Daryl to stew about it.

"No worries little brother, by the time I'm done imparting my wisdom upon you in this afternoon's tutorial you'll know how to throw it down so good that little girl will follow you everywhere." Merle said as he tossed a box of condoms at Daryl.

33333333333333333

The room was getting hotter by the minute and Daryl's head getting dazed even faster. Somehow, they had ended up with him on top of her, usually he wasn't as bold to climb all over her. It had happened so fast among their flailing arms and hot lips that later when he thought about it, he couldn't remember it exactly, but he thought Paulina had pulled him on top of her.

They been devouring each other's mouths for what seemed like forever that night and the desire to be closer overtook them both equally. Their hands roamed over each other's bodies more than ever before and now the pot was at a rolling boil. This had started out in the living room on the couch and now they had made it to his bedroom

Daryl felt like he was going to explode any minute; Paulina was running her hands over his back and he longed to feel her hands on his bare skin. It was sweet torture and by the way she was breathing he could tell it was the same for her. This was the farthest he ever went with a girl before and it felt like a dream, he just prayed he didn't cum in his pants like an idiot.

She pressed against him and Daryl knew she could feel him hard against her legs, he wasn't embarrassed, he wasn't worried either because it felt so good. This was what Merle was going on about and it was too good to stop, and so right, although he knew they would stop, they always stopped.

He wasn't that guy, and he wasn't about to get pushy with her even though he wanted to be between her legs in the worst way. Well, between her legs with nothing on, he was already between her legs. He could feel the heat radiating off her body as he pressed against her and both of them were losing their minds. Every time he moved his hips against her the pressure increased on his dick and he wanted so much more.

Still, he would let her direct how this was going to go, even as his heart beat out of his chest and his breath became more ragged, he would never push her into anything she didn't want. This was enough if it was all she wanted to do.

Daryl didn't need to be worried about being pushy because Paulina just made a little sound in the back of her throat and slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and pulled him closer. Sweet Jesus she was gonna make him cum in his pants like he feared if she kept doing that.

His dick was harder than it had ever been before in his life and he was aching for her, the sweat was pouring off of him and her too; but he had to slow her down. It was so different with another person, he finally got what Merle was all fired up about with all his girlfriends and conquests; girls were soft and warm and much better than jerking off.

Just the other night he had laid right on this bed and thought about her, like so many other times, and now the reality had him jumping out of his skin. She was in his bed and he was the luckiest guy in the school; as if she knew what he was thinking a grin filled her face as she looked up at him.

"I've never been this close to anyone before." She gasped, "Not like this," She murmured in a breathless whisper, "I've never done anything like this before "

"Me either," He replied and then was startled when she opened her legs more and now he was right against her, they were still fully clothed, but, goddamn it felt so good, "God Paulina" He moaned, and pushed against her.

"Mm mm," Paulina replied, his answer had pleased her. He was the one she could trust with all these first times, because they would be learning it all together. Cautiously, but excited she allowed her emotions and body to overtake her, for the first time in her life.

Her friends had said being with a boy was like being on cloud nine or la la land, and they hadn't lied. Every pulse through her veins was ringing through her ears as her heart skipped in her chest and her lungs struggled for air. He took her breath away, in the most wonderful way, the heat of his body and the feel of his hard body and raging erection made her crazy.

"I need you..." She breathed out.

She reached her arms up and around his neck and pulled him down into a dirty kiss and into oblivion. There was something building inside of her and she needed it like air, she was determined to chase it this time, instead of stopping. Daryl had earned her trust and she had no fear now.

He couldn't help it when she kissed him like that. He had to grind his hips against her, the desire was so consuming, and Paulina didn't object, she just moaned as if she'd never felt so good in her life.

Daryl was sweating harder now and so was she, he was so filled with need, unlike ever before in his life. At the age of sixteen this was the farthest he'd ever been with a girl. Hell, she was the first one he'd wanted to be close to.

The room was too hot, his dick was too hard, and her salty skin tasted too good under his lips as he worked his way down her neck. It was putting him into sensory overload fast and then suddenly she gripped his arms and arched her body up against his.

"Oh my god...ohmygod," She moaned as something new took over her body, she had never felt such passion in all her life, "Oh my God."

He could feel her tremble out of control as she pressed herself against him and it was all he could do to hang onto it and not cum in his pants. Her eyes had closed, and Paulina cried out softly, as her body moved against his, pulling him farther and farther down the rabbit hole, then her lips were on his again and she was kissing him hard, as her body continued to shake.

"Did you just..." He asked between kisses.

"Yes. I think so..." She answered and wrapped her legs around him.

"Oh god dammit," He groaned, as he dove in for another kiss; she had just cum for the first time, he had felt it and it was more than he could stand, he buried his face in her sweet smelling hair and let it all go.

CHAPTER TEN

'Cause I don't want to come back  
Down from this cloud.  
It's taken me all this time to find out what I need, yeah.

'Cause I don't want to come back  
Down from this cloud  
It's taken me all this time, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Comedown by Bush

Eventually they went farther and farther and nothing seemed wrong, they spent every afternoon in his room after school learning about each other, the group project was long since over now. But they were still together, each day getting closer and closer. One day she simply said she was ready to go further and encouraged him to lock the door. Sometimes Merle banged on the door to mess with them, but neither of them wanted to chance being interrupted this time.

By now they were comfortable with each other, months of taking their time was over now, they both knew what the other liked. They knew how to get each other off and what felt good. Daryl was never letting her know where the pointers first came from, but he had thanked Merle for it just the same.

She smiled as he was kissing her, winding her arms around him, Paulina was just as physical as he was, pulling him closer and closer to her by the belt loops of his pants and he never felt so wanted in his entire life. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered, "love this song...", softly and her hot breath felt amazing on his skin. Those were the last words between them that day, because they were lost in the music and each other now.

"I don't wanna come back down from this cloud…"

She pulled off the hoodie she was wearing as he smiled at her like the wolf might have smiled at little red riding hood. He could devour her, and he would, the slower the better, with the lights on. He might have been young, but he paid attention to her reactions and he knew the things she liked.

They were standing opposite each other, watching, their eyes locked on each other, the words to the song the only sound now.

She smiled back at him, that devilish grin he had seen on her a few times, since he had met her. It was the grin that said 'I'm up to no good and you're going to love it' as she grabbed the hem of her shirt.

Daryl walked her backwards as they both pulled off their shirts and dropped them on the floor. He stopped and ran his hands through her hair the way he dreamed of months ago, her hair was down, not up in the sloppy bun or ponytail she wore it in for school. He loved to touch her hair, it was soft and smelled like lemongrass and coconut, he'd had a whiff of it before and wanted more, so much more. It was almost down to her ass in soft curls and he loved seeing it like this, as if it was the first time.

Daryl studied her as she stood in front of him, committing her to memory, every detail, how she looked and smelled. He wanted to remember the song that was playing and everything about this moment and the moments to come. He would remember it for the rest of his life, this was going to be their first time. It was going to be perfect.

Slowly Daryl pulled her face close to his and kissed her, slowly running his tongue along her lips and into her mouth. No one had ever tasted so delicious as she did, and he moaned like a bitch. Merle would never let him live it down if he knew and he didn't give fuck all about it.

They both toed off their shoes as they made it to the bed and his arms were around her again kissing her like he couldn't get enough of her. Unable to not touch every part of her Daryl let his fingers stroke her skin, just like he had been thinking about that day in class.

He kissed down her neck, trying to keep it together; his mouth was hot and wet over her breasts and going lower until he was on his knees. Soon Daryl was kissing her stomach and running his tongue over her skin, while his hands went to the button on her pants. Her skin tasted salty and sweet at the same time and he wanted to taste every part of her.

Paulina sighed and looked down at him, she loved him completely with everything inside of her. Together nothing could stop them, and they would always be like this forever. She had been so sure of it then.

Daryl kissed and licked her stomach and his fingers found their way around the back of her pants and inside to feel the lace of her underwear until she was pulling him back up to her. Paulina grabbed for the buckle of his pants and his hands met hers there and unzipped his pants. She ran her hands over the bulge there and sucked in a breath because he was big and she grinned thinking that it might hurt in the best possible way.

"Don't be afraid of the beast," He teased.

"I'm not," She answered with a smile.

Paulina met his eyes as they stood there, and she didn't move her hand as she quirked an eyebrow of approval at him. She was a dream come true to him, the way she flirted with him and stirred him up and set his blood to boil in his veins. He did the same to her and it was almost like they fed off of each other.

Paulina was diving him crazy with her hands on him; it was time to return the favor. Daryl's eyes closed as his hands ventured up her stomach to her breasts and his eyes almost rolled to the back of his head, because she felt so good under his hands.

So much for driving her crazy, because he was even more riled up now, she was soft and perfect and everything he wanted. He wanted to do everything he could to make her feel good. Silently he tried to recall Merle's pointers.

~Be Gentle

~Touch her

~Make sure she gets wet

~Use your mouth every where

~Make sure she cums first

Daryl pulled his belt out and dropped it on the floor behind him, hearing it clank on the floor. Paulina felt chills creep over her spine at that sound as he stared at her again, her eyes went down to his hips where his pants hung obscenely low now. This time it was he who quirked an eyebrow, gave her a smile and pulled her close for a kiss. Her hands went up his back and he trembled this time.

Paulina wasn't touching his dick at all, yet he had chills and they traveled all through his body making him shudder. Her hands on him made him feel something he had never felt before and he didn't know what it was. It was moving too fast though for him to put a name on it.

She got her pants off and he followed until they were both standing there in their underwear. He liked what he saw, and he also liked that she had no problem letting him see her. Merle said some girls would only do it in the dark, but not her, the lights were always on and he could see every wonderful curve of her body just like he wanted to.

Daryl touched the soft flair of her hip and spread his fingers out, squeezing lightly and looking down at her. Their foreheads were close to each other, their eyes met and another kiss. All he could think of now was her soft, beautiful, and, luscious body. Daryl loved that Paulina wasn't bony and she was shaped like a woman not a girl. He ran his hands over her arms up and down feeling the goose bumps that were there.

She reached behind her and unhooked her bra and he took her in as if it was the first time; her skin was creamy, her breasts full and round and he ached to touch them again. She wasn't shy with him, Paulina just shucked her clothes off in front of him like it was nothing.

She sat down on the bed and then he crawled over her, leaning down to kiss her. Soon they were laying down and he asked her if she was OK; she was more than OK, the weight of him felt so good. He moved until he was on top of her with one leg between her legs and his lips at her throat going lower. Her hands were in his hair, her fingertips danced along on his scalp sending more chills down his spine.

Paulina surprised him by rolling them over so that she was on top of him. She looked down at him, her hands were on his chest as she settled herself on top of him. His hands went up to her hips with a mind of their own and she moved against him. He could feel her through his boxers, and it was way too much. But a soft groan escaped his lips and she smiled at that and moved against him again.

He had to stop this before it was all over, because it felt too good. She leaned down to kiss him and ground herself down on him at the same time. The friction was so intense that he pulled her down against him bringing his hands on her ass to slow her down. The music continued the radio, 'Pretty Noose' by Soundgarden was on now.

He rolled her back, so they were side by side facing each other and he pushed a stray lock of her hair out of her face and behind her ear.

"You are so fucking beautiful." He said running his hand over her breast feeling her nipple harden under his palm, which he moved in little circles and kissed her again.

Paulina responded to his touch like no one he had ever known or been with before. The sounds that she made and the way her body moved had him stirred up in every way, both physically and emotionally.

She moved closer to him until they were flush up against each other and skin to skin. He slid one of his legs against her and between her legs. The heat radiating from her and onto his leg made his dick ache and he could feel it throbbing with his heartbeat.

She was right against him and he knew she could feel it. She started rubbing against him and he heard her breath picking up as his fingers ghosted across her nipple. He dipped his head down to the other one and licked and sucked keeping his fingers where they were.

Then painfully slow he licked her and then blew hot air against her skin and she arched her back up. She was sure he was trying to kill her, and where had he learned all of this, she asked herself.

The answer was Merle, but he was never telling.

The two different sensations were making Paulina see stars already, and she forgot all her questions as she threw her head back letting out a long sigh. Her hips were moving against him and she reached down between them, across his stomach which made every part of him tremble. She sucked on his neck at his collar bone and took his dick in her hand.

It was his turn to moan now, the feel of her small hands on him and her lips on his neck was better than any fantasy. She was going to leave a mark and he couldn't give a shit right now because the way she was touching him and sucking on his neck made him harder than he had ever felt before.

"Fuck, Paulina, oh fuck." He said his eyes closing involuntarily, but he wanted to see her. He opened his eyes and looked at her as she was running her hand over him and her thumb glided over the head. "Fuck. Me."

He rolled so she was on her back and kissed down her neck as his hand slid down to her underwear. She loosened her grip on him as she felt his fingers over her underwear, and they were soaked. Daryl groaned as she let out the softest sigh and it hit him right in the balls.

She wanted more and so did he, Daryl wanted it all. He pushed her legs apart gently and she reached behind her to grip the spindles of the headboard.

"That's so good baby, hang on," He whispered in her ear and then he was pushing the lace aside to touch her and groaned at how wet she was, "So wet for me..."

He always knew just how to touch her, he was gentle and slow like she was a precious thing. He wasn't in a hurry and he wasn't rough. He knew his way around a women's body which was a relief to Paulina and was making her feel so good.

"I'm gonna..." She said pulling him to her for a kiss while his fingers slid against her. "Oh God!" She gasped out moving her legs apart and rocking her hips into his hand trying to put out the fire inside of her.

"Me too, it's ok…let it go. I know you're there." He whispered to her moving his fingers against her and then inside her. She gripped the head board and her hips went off the bed it felt so good.

"Oh, my God, oh my God, Daryl." She screamed as his thumb made circles around her clit and his fingers moved in and out of her. "Oh my God, oh God, oh God."

Then she just screamed as her whole body tensed and she let go, it was earth shattering. Her breathing was ragged and coming out in little puffs as her body came back to earth and then finally went limp after the best orgasm of her life.

He kissed the side of her breast and whispered. "Good girl."

Then he was up on his knees and looking down at her as he pulled her underwear down over her hips.

"I gotta taste you, Paulina, please." He pleaded.

She was still catching her breath and she could only just nod at him. Before she knew it, he had her underwear off her and he was between her legs, running his hands over her thighs.

Paulina would always remember the look on his face as he sunk down and licked her with the flat of his tongue with just enough pressure. He looked like he wanted it so much and the desire in his eyes made her heart skip.

She had heard from her girlfriends of this being a bargaining point in relationships; boys didn't want to do it but sometimes they would if you did something for them.

Not Daryl, he was pulling her legs over his shoulders, gripping her thighs and groaning like she was the most delicious dessert in the world. Now he showed her what a demon he was; he hummed 'Pretty Noose" against her flesh and her legs started to shake.

He released her finally and grinned up to her, "Ready?" He said slipping his boxers off.

She nodded, and he reached into the nightstand grabbing a condom that he had put in there the night before. The bed dipped when he moved around, and he looked down at her as he ripped it open with his teeth.

Paulina watched as he slid it down over himself with lust hooded eyes and he looked back at her with the same eyes.

"Are you sure Paulina." He confirmed.

She just nodded her head and mumbled. "Uh, uh."

Then she felt his weight on her again and his dick against her and it felt so fucking good. She wanted him inside her right away, she couldn't wait another second, and she reached down between them to stop the teasing motion he had been doing to her.

"Now." She said, guiding him towards her.

She was warm and wet and tight around him and, but he was careful not to go too fast and hurt her. He didn't know what to expect and he wasn't prepared for the intensity of his feelings. He took it slow, and kept an eye on her reactions, while his own heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

"I'm OK, keep going," She sighed, "Keep going you feel so good baby."

"Oh, fuck me." Daryl groaned when he was finally inside of her all the way. "Sorry, sorry Paulina, I'm trying to go slow."

"Don't you dare," Paulina said running her nails across his back, it was perfect, he was perfect, "Oh god it's so good..."

"I'm not hurting you?" He asked dumbfounded, Merle said it always hurt the girl the first time and he had been a little afraid because of that.

"It's ok," She breathed out, "It... it burns a little, but it's good, it's so fucking good Daryl."

"Oh Jesus." He kissed her and brought his lips to her neck." This ain't gonna last long you keep talking like that."

She wrapped her legs around his hips and hung on as they moved together slowly then picked up speed after a while. To his shock she met his hips thrust for thrust in a rhythm that was driving them both into oblivion.

"Yes, fuck me harder, harder oh fuck." She cried unwrapping her legs form him as he reached down between them and stroked her some more, "Yes."

"You got a fuckin dirty mouth," He kissed her again, "I love it."

She pushed herself harder against him, seeking relief from the fire that burned inside of her, "Harder, harder, please."

"Goddammit." He could feel her starting to contract around him. "Fuck, oh fuck."

"More, oh god more." She screamed. "Yes.'

He felt her cumming around him and all over him and it was way too intense. It was too much for him, the banter that they shared between them and the fact that she was even here was making his head spin. For all his life he would remember this first time and how intense it was for both of them.

"Harder," Paulina grabbed his hair and pulled him to her for a kiss, their eyes meeting in the swirl of emotion between them. "Give it to me harder."

"Oh god baby, do it cum on me, cum on me." He kissed down her neck and pushed against her hard like she wanted, the sweat was pouring from him now and mixing with her sweat, "Come on, cum on me, give it to me, sweetheart..."

She suddenly let go of his hair and threw her head back against the pillows screaming. Everything inside him let loose after that and he growled out a string of curses as he exploded in a tidal wave of intensity. He shuddered through it and for a minute after wards in her arms, then he felt her eyes on him.

He looked down at her and kissed her forehead. "Hey."

"Hey," She smiled, bringing her hands up through his hair, he did the same and pushed her hair off her face," I love you."

"I love you," He smiled at her.

"Will you love me for the rest of my life?"

"I'm gonna love you the rest of my life."


	9. Chapter 9

Paulina's period was late the summer after senior year, a month after graduation and Daryl was trying to decide about the army. At first, she didn't tell him, she was on the pill and they used condoms; it wasn't supposed to happen. She didn't tell anyone, but she was terrified, this wasn't in the plan. Daryl was going to go into the army, and she was going to go to college. They would marry and start a family later, not now.

Daryl and Merle were very close to signing on the dotted line and he didn't need this. He was the most important person in her life, and she couldn't fuck up his plans. She felt stupid and angry for letting this happen and she cried herself to sleep every night wondering what in the world she was going to do.

Daryl's father was drinking more and more and although he didn't raise his fists to his sons as much now that they could fight back, it was still a shitty place to be. Every day that summer he showed up to her house early in the morning and they would take off on his dirt bike for parts unknown. Sometimes Merle came when he didn't want to be home either.

She was an A plus hunter and fighter now and that gave him peace somehow; he worried about her while he would be gone. It was crazy, her parents were good people, but you never knew; Daryl insisted that she hunt and fight, so she could handle herself if she ever needed to.

They had to get out, it was the only way, Paulina was afraid something horrible would happen if Daryl and Merle didn't get away soon. The fights they did have with their old man when he was drunk were violent and horrible and someone always got hurt. Merle and Daryl got put in jail for a night once too the year before and she had to ask her parents to bail them out. The look on Daryl's face and the embarrassment he felt just broke her heart. This would be his life forever if he stayed.

She felt like he had enough on his mind, but finally she did tell him, and he was happy, shocked at first a little but then he immediately asked her to marry him. He smiled so big the dimples in his cheeks came out and she couldn't hurt him this way.

But she didn't answer immediately, it caused a rift between them and then she got her period. It was different between them after that, he was disappointed that she didn't want to get married and leave town with him. Paulina had a fine home life, with two loving parents and she wanted to go to nursing school. She understood his need to get away, she really did, but she felt like they were too young to get married. Daryl said he understood, but she knew he didn't, she had broken his heart.

They were still together until he left but they fought more and once he was gone, they never saw each other again. The called and wrote a few times, then finally the relationship died an unceremonious death after he was sent to Oklahoma. They didn't see or speak to each other again after that.

Not till one day when she walked into the 7/11 for a cup of coffee fifteen some odd years later.

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"Who's that picture of Mama?" Katie asked one day when she had seen her mother sitting at her desk looking at the picture of her and Daryl on the motorcycle. It wasn't the first time the child had seen her like that, looking at a picture and one time she had even been crying. Katie didn't like when her mother cried, her father made her mother cry sometimes and she didn't like him either.

Paulina turned to her child who stood next to her and pulled her onto her lap. The picture was so old and her daughter so observant. She couldn't have been more than two years old, Jilly wasn't even born yet, Paulina's marriage had already begun to disintegrate though. She allowed herself to reminisce sometimes, life could have been so different.

"It's me pumpkin..." She held it over for her to look, "See, when I was very young?"

"Who's the boy?"

"Just a boy," Paulina sighed, "A boy who will never talk to me again." She answered and slid the picture back under her pencil box. She closed the desk drawer and stood up, "Come on sweetie, let's go make some lunch."

Gently so that Katie didn't notice she wiped her face where tears had been again.

These were her days now, taking care of Katie, going to school and praying for someday to come. Soon she found out she was expecting another baby and she knew she'd be trapped for another few years. As she walked by the spare room, she glanced at the chest he had given her and wished she had another chance to say yes to him.

Yes, Daryl, I'll marry you, she whispered to no one.

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"Daryl if you don't let someone get close to you every relationship is going to tank just like ours did," His friend Jenny remarked as they sat in a cafe in the Philippines the year before he was to leave for Monterrey to meet Merle and then go home, "I mean you are a much better friend than boyfriend, I know more about you now than I ever did when we were fucking."

"And so, few people do, consider yourself lucky." He remarked as he sipped his espresso with a smile on his face. Jenny knew him well, it was odd that they were such good friends, but her husband was ok with it. They just had a connection, for years now a deep friendship.

"Lucky I figured you out before I got in too deep is more like it."

He laughed at that and so did she as she lit her cigarette, Jenny was alright. She always told it like it was and she never blew smoke up anyone's ass. If you asked her for an honest opinion that was what you got, every time. She was the only person he allowed to talk to him that way. They had been friends for so long now, and all she wanted was for him not to be alone.

They had met in boot camp and been transferred to the same base in Oklahoma. They had begun a casual thing a few months after that, but it didn't go anywhere and finally she had called it quits. The words emotionally unavailable and blocked got tossed around during that time but they stayed friends though and wrote to each other often, meeting up when they could.

They were no longer at the same base as years of promotions and career moves took them away from each other, but they always remained friends. Jenny sincerely cared about him and her husband had taken a liking to him as well. Over the years he had spent a few holidays with them, sometimes he brought a date but more often he brought Merle.

"Maybe I'm just not the marrying kind?" He answered, and she waved him off as she took a drag on her cigarette.

"I don't believe that for a second," She explained, "I think it's fear."

"Present company excluded, but maybe I haven't met the one yet," Or he had already met and lost her was more like it. Jenny laughed again.

"That could be," She leaned closer, "But promise me you'll try, if you meet someone, I don't want you to be all alone."

"I got Merle, I'll never be alone," He replied.

"You know what I mean," She countered, "There's someone out there for you, I just know it."

"Ah, it's my fault for letting you out of my grasp..." He laughed, and Jenny burst out laughing at that idea.

"You are so full of shit," She laughed, "Don't even try that famous Dixon charm on me, you had your chance."

The banter between them was the best, neither of them had any interest in the other romantically and Jenny knew he was trying to change the subject as usual. That was what he did when she got on his back about settling down.

"Oh, you break my heart," He answered, and she huffed.

"Stop trying to change the subject ya jerk."

"Relax Jen," He said, "If I meet someone, you'll be the first to know, OK?"

"OK," She answered, "I better be."

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Cindy Lassiter was Paulina's next-door neighbor and they met for coffee often over the years as their kids grew up together. They sat in the sunshine on the front porch watching their children play on long summer days and made the most of their time together. Cindy had one daughter and now Paulina had two. They had been friends for years and shared so many good times, it was good to have a friend next door to do things with.

Cindy might have been the reason Paulina didn't lose her mind in those early years when the kids were so little.

They cooked dinners together, barbecued, had parties for their kids and adult parties too. They were different, but a good match just the same. Cindy drank a lot and Paulina didn't drink at all, but they loved each other fiercely like sisters.

Both were stay at home Mom's with college degrees that were collecting dust. Cindy had a bachelor's degree in psychology and Paulina was a nurse. Through the years she worked just enough to keep active in the field, but the girls were both in school full time, she was ready to go back to work full time and move her plan forward before she lost her nerve. She had completed more classes and there was really no reason not to work.

"I'm going back to work in September," Paulina said matter of factly one day, "It's time."

"Why?" Cindy asked, "You don't need to work, dickhead makes a fortune, don't he?"

"I need a job with benefits." Paulina replied. She let that sink in and wondered if Cindy would pick up on what she was really saying.

"Why? Doesn't Kevin..." Cindy sucked in a breath, "Oh my god your leaving him!"

Paulina was quiet, "Someday, yes I am, and this is the first step."

"It's about fucking time if you ask me," Cindy replied, and it was no joke, she knew how Kevin had always been with Paulina. It was inevitable that the marriage wasn't going to last, even she knew that, "Just don't go too far away ok?"

"I won't…"

"Hey," Cindy looked over at her, "I'm proud of you."

They sat in silence as they watched their three girls playing in a blow-up pool, playing and having fun, oblivious to the conversation the adults were having.

"I've been saving money for years, I have a storage unit," Paulina continued.

"Your Dad would kill him if he knew."

"I know, that's why I'm not telling him."

"You can't keep your parents out of this forever."

"Cindy they're old, they don't need this drama."

"Your father would still kick his ass," Cindy said as she lit a cigarette.

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Katie and Jilly shared a room and often they woke up in the night when their father was yelling at their mother. Usually Jilly would climb into bed with Katie and they would cuddle and comfort each other. Paulina always tried to get him to keep it down, but Kevin wasn't having it. He would be as loud as he wanted in his own house.

"He's so mean to Mamma," Jilly said as she snuggled up close to her sister.

"It's ok Jilly, go back to sleep," Katie rubbed her sisters back as they laid there in the darkness.

CHAPTER TWELVE

He hadn't told Merle yet, and he knew that in of itself was not a good thing. Daryl told Merle everything eventually, ever since they were kids and it was just the two of them and this would be a scandal in Merle's eyes. Daryl had been leaving early for work daily for weeks and one day Merle followed him to the 711 and saw him talking with Paulina by her car.

Merle's buddy Axle who hung in front of the 711 every morning before work informed him that Daryl and Paulina were there almost every day before work. He and his buddies called them the lovebirds because they were always smiling and laughing. They only had eyes for each other, and it was apparent how in love with each other they were.

Axle had said that Daryl always walked her to her car, gave her a quick kiss and then would come talk to them for a while. Axel also told Merle she was a married woman.

It had just been over nine weeks since they had seen each other for the first time and Merle confronted his brother.

"She's married ya jackass." Merle raged at him the next day after work after he let it stew in his head over night.

"She's getting a divorce," Daryl spat back, "Now you can help us move her and her kids into a new place this weekend if you know so much."

"You're a fuckin idiot, you always were when it came to her!" Merle raged, "No wonder you've been acting all sketch ball!"

"Well, I'd rather be her idiot that some other woman's genius," Daryl raged right back, "I love her, I always have and always will."

"She's got kids?" Merle realized.

"And the father is abusive to her and soon it will be the kids, you fuckin know that, she's been planning to leave way before I come along."

"He hit her?"

"Not yet, but you know it's comin," Daryl's eyes were soft, and Merle got it now.

"Alright, I'm in." Merle replied, and Daryl never doubted he would be once he told him what Paulina was going through. Both had watched their mother get hit by the old man and both of them had been on the receiving end of beatings from him themselves.

That had been part of the reason he had wanted to marry Paulina all those years ago and take her with him when he went into the army. Daryl had wanted a new life and he wanted it right away. Now it was here, finally fifteen years later and with a little bit of baggage, but he was up for it.

Once Merle knew the facts behind what Daryl and Paulina were doing and why he said no more to Daryl, just let him know he was behind him 100%, as always.

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The next morning, like a good older brother Merle was at the 7/11 too with Daryl when Paulina pulled in, as soon as she got out of her car, he walked over to her and then Merle was hugging her. Daryl had said her husband put her down and threatened her, Merle could not abide that, even if he didn't quite approve of this arrangement. Daryl said she had already filed papers with a local lawyer, and her divorce would be final very soon. It had become too volatile for her and the children to stay and she would lose her house because of that, but Daryl planned to buy them a house.

"Cookie!" Merle called Paulina by the nickname he had given her when they were all kids together, but still wanted to speak his mind on the matter, "I'm gonna tell you right now I was pissed you were back in his life. You didn't have to pick up the pieces last time, that was me."

"I understand, I'd feel the same way Merle," She replied, she couldn't blame him really, she and Daryl had hurt each other, and Merle was right to be wary of her.

"But I guess you both were just young and dumb and full of cu..."

"Merle," Daryl hissed, and his brother just laughed as he turned to the woman who was once a girl that Daryl called Lina.

"Ya think it's gonna stick with you two this time?" Merle said with a laugh and a wink. Then he slapped Daryl on the back and the three of them went in for their coffee.

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"Don't leave her alone with him," Daryl said to the guys as Kevin came down the front steps of the house in a rage. Paulina had taken the kids to her parents' house, finally told them what was going on and now she, Daryl and the rest of the guys were there to get her things.

"This ain't my first rodeo brother," Merle said as he held out his hand to the angry man approaching them, "Now hold on buddy..."

"Paulina your fuckin whore, which one of these assholes are you sleeping with?" He raged from the porch. He had been right all along about her, this just proved it.

"Both of them," She hollered back from the street and Daryl couldn't help but laugh at her feisty comeback. How had this other man not loved that about her? Her personality made her even more desirable to him, more so than her looks, although that helped a lot. He had always had a fondness for feisty girls and that was because of her, the first feisty girl in his life.

"You're gonna fuckin regret this Paulina!" He continued to yell as she walked towards the house, when she got to the front steps Daryl saw the other man raise his hand as if to hit her and he was between them in seconds.

"Don't you touch her!" Daryl growled as he rolled his shoulders back and made eye contact with Kevin, Daryl got right in his face and Kevin backed up slightly, "Cause that will be the last thing you ever do. You are never touching her again."

"Fuck you," Kevin snarled back, but he let Paulina pass by him and into the house, Merle was next to Daryl then.

"Go on and help her brother, Kev and I are gonna have a chat out here," Merle said matter of factually, "Ain't we?"

With that Merle led the other man away as Paulina and Daryl went into the house. There wasn't much to get and soon Cindy and her husband Chuck were there to help move the chest with Daryl and Merle. As he put it in his truck, he remembered putting it into his truck years ago to take to her.

He still could not believe she had kept it all these years.

"Who's your friend Paulina," Cindy was next to her then and motioning towards Daryl, "You've been holding out on me." She said with a laugh.

"He's the one who bought that for me." She pointed to the chest.

"So, I'll thank him for the time I broke my fucking toe running into that thing?" She laughed as she sipped her beer and glanced back at her husband who was keeping Kevin in line now.

"You were drunk..." Paulina laughed, "Daryl this is my friend Cindy, her husband Chuck, and this is Merle."

"Hey," He answered, and Merle did the same then they got back to moving the last of Paulina and the girl's stuff.

"Christ girl, he's fuckin hot." Cindy observed as she lit a cigarette, "Do you love him?"

"I love him awful." She answered.

"Damn, good luck with that, it's always better if they love you more..."

"It's not like that with him, we're equal," Paulina answered, "We were apart just long enough to never take for granted what we have."

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Two weeks after they had moved during scheduled visitation Kevin had told his twelve and ten-year-old daughters that their mother was a whore and was fucking some dirt bag from high school and she was forced to introduce them to Daryl.

They had planned for the girls to meet him later, after they adjusted to the change, but Kevin and his rage forced her to do it sooner. That night after the girls came home with many questions and Paulina called Daryl to come over and meet them.

"Girls, Katie and Jillian, this is my friend Daryl," Paulina said to them as they all sat down on the front porch steps of the new house Daryl had helped her find just down the street from him and Merle.

"My Dad has a lot to say about you," Katie began as she turned and looked Daryl in the eye.

"I'm sorry about that." Daryl replied.

Katie shrugged, "He's a dick, my mom is smiling again..."

"That makes you alright as far as we're concerned." Jillian answered.

"Oh Jilly," Paulina hugged both of them, then Daryl put his arm around her.

"Are we still ordering pizza?" Jilly asked and that was the end of the conversation, Daryl was accepted by the girls and over time they eventually started to call him Dad, and he knew what an honor that was.

"You're the boy in the picture," Katie looked over at Daryl, "Mommy has your picture in her desk, you got older but that's you."

Over the children's heads Paulina smiled at Daryl and whispered, "I love you." And he did the same.

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The first weekend they were going to be alone together after a week of moving Paulina, both girls had gone to see her parents in Montgomery and Daryl rushed home on Friday night to shower and shave. Merle was laughing as he got ready to go, he watched as his brother carefully trimmed his goatee and put on cologne like he was going to the prom.

"This your first date with her or what? Come on brother, stop fussing so much."

"This is my last first date, I'm not letting her out of my sight again."

"So, you ain't coming home tonight?"

"Hope not," Daryl grinned, they hadn't discussed it because she wasn't free to be with him, they had only kissed by mutual agreement. Now she was out of her old house and the divorce would be final any day now, they could start their lives together.

It was like a dream, so many nights Daryl had dreamed of reuniting with Paulina over the years, no one had quite gotten to him the way she had, she was his first and last love and he would move heaven and earth to be sure they stayed together this time.

The hot-headed young man who ran off and joined the army to heal a broken heart was gone now, replaced by a level-headed officer who was determined to spend the rest of his days with her.

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He drove to her house that was just five minutes away in anticipation, they hadn't been together this way since they were nineteen.

As soon as Paulina opened the door her wrapped her in his arms and he was home where he belonged, Daryl had realized he had been sleepwalking through life without her. Now he, who traveled all around the world in an attempt to forget her was finally home again. She was still a perfect fit in his arms, just like she had always been.

"Oh, Lina we did it babe," He murmured into her hair, "It's all gonna be OK now."

"It's not over you know, there's going to be complications," Paulina sighed.

She was too sexy to resist, standing there out of breath like he was, and he didn't want to resist her this time; they had waited long enough.

"Don't care, I live for complications," He said stepping over the threshold and closing the door, he was in her space in an instant. Paulina let him take control of the situation as he placed his hands on her cheeks and looked into her eyes, "The only thing that can make my life miserable is to be away from you."


	10. Chapter 10

Two chapters of smut before the shit hits the fan and you all find out why this is called Welcome to Nowhere. Muahahahahaha

 **Chapter Text**

They stood there for a beat, looking at each other, then his lips were on hers as she pressed her body against his hard frame, he had filled out in the years they had been apart, and it felt good to be in this man's loving arms again. That feeling had been missing from her life for so long.

His hands were all over her and her hands traveled over him in an instant, finally.  
Her body was just like he remembered, soft in all the right places, and a perfect fit in his arms.

Daryl backed her up against the far wall in the foyer and dove in to give her the hottest, dirtiest kiss she had ever had. His tongue took over her mouth like he owned her and maybe he always had. Paulina felt like she was his, in the past, present, and future; only his.

"It's a good idea then?" She asked when they came up for air a minute later.

"It's a very good idea," He said running his lips over her neck as she pushed against him, already on fire from his hot mouth on her skin.

He felt as good as she imagined and remembered, better even, he was a man now, not a boy anymore. Her blood was boiling over in her veins already and they had barely touched.

"In fact, I think it's the best damn idea my dumb ass has come up with in a long time." He said, going in for another scorching kiss.

Paulina couldn't argue with that; she'd only said it might get complicated, so it was out in the open. They had been hurling towards this for weeks now, and they both knew it. She wanted him desperately, and she'd fall at his feet right there in the foyer of her house if he wanted her to.

Her soon to be ex-husband never kissed her like that, Daryl kissed her like he needed it to live. Daryl's lips and teeth on her skin consumed her, and as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, there was no doubt that it was on.

He picked her up while her back was against the wall and her legs wrapped around his waist instinctively as he ran his teeth over her lower lip.

Both of them let out a groan at the contact of their bodies this way, and she pulled him close, sliding her arms around his neck. He kissed her again and again as they pressed their bodies together and his hands traveled over her ass, pulling her against him tighter.

"Here, or upstairs," Was all he said, and she motioned to the stairs beside them. Daryl nodded once adjusted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs to her room. He kicked the door shut and tossed her on the bed, taking a minute to look at her, really look at her. He never thought they would ever be together again yet here they were.

Then Daryl crawled over top of her and kissed her again, "Do you want to stop?" He knew all about consent and even though he wanted her desperately, he would wait if she felt that they needed to.

"No," Paulina squeaked out as his lips made their way down her neck and his hands moved down her rib cage, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

"It's mutual sweetheart," He groaned sucking on the tender skin of her collar bone and pulling her shirt over her head.

Daryl gazed down at her; she was incredible, just like he remembered. It was as if the last fifteen years never happened and they hadn't been apart at all.

"You are so beautiful," He murmured, not taking his eyes from hers, his hand ran up her bare leg and under the skirt she was wearing, and she didn't stop him.

Daryl leaned down and kissed her again, and there was something so desperate in his kiss like he couldn't get enough of her; it was addicting to her. This man would always be her greatest addiction.

Paulina ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, spreading her legs and she could feel him hard against the thin material of her panties; she wanted him. She rocked her hips against his and slid her leg around his to pull him closer, Daryl let out a moan that went right through her.

He kissed along her neck, stopping to suck and then across her chest and collar bones with little kisses as he moved down lower. His hand made quick work of the front clasp bra she had on, and it was gone in no time, replaced with his hand and it was she who moaned then.

Daryl's hands were rough; a working man's hands just like she remembered, and they felt so good on her soft skin. She reached around and slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and pulled him against her, pressing against him as he thrust his hips into hers. Her hands slid up over his back, and she pulled him closer still, feeling his dick against her, hard and inviting.

There was no relief to get from this fever she was in now, and she reached for the buckle of his pants.

Daryl pushed her hand away gently, "Not yet sweetheart," He said softly as his lips found her right nipple and his hand slid to the left.

"Oh, god," She moaned, arching her back and bringing her chest closer to him. She needed more, so much more.

"Tell me you want this with me," He groaned swirling his tongue around her nipple. Daryl couldn't explain why he needed to hear that, but he did. Even though they had been together for weeks and it was blatantly obvious what they both wanted, he still needed to hear it out loud from her, "This time it's going to be different."

She had rejected him once a long time ago, it was still in the back of his mind, she had refused to marry him once upon a time.

"I want it, all of it," She ran her hands through his hair, "I want all of you, forever."

"I've wanted to touch you so badly," Daryl said, satisfied with her answer, running his hands over her hips. His lips and tongue were all over her breasts, and he could hear her breathing becoming ragged, while her body moved against him.

She wanted him, and that excitement was contagious like a sickness he didn't want to be cured of.

"Touch me," She moaned, "Please." She ran her hands over his back and ass then brought them around to the front of his jeans. He was hard as stone, and he moaned when she moved her small hand along the length of him, "I wanna touch you."

Paulina unbuckled his jeans and reached inside his pants to grasp him, and Daryl's breath caught in his chest at the feel of her touch. Paulina slid her hand over the length of him, and he responded, "Oh Fuck," in a slow throaty groan.

Already she had him worked up into a frenzy, and he knew he needed to slow down. He hadn't been touched by a woman in a long time or touched a woman, and he wasn't ready to tap out just yet.

Daryl ground his hips against her hand and reached lower over her hips to bring his fingers to the outside of her panties.

Paulina moaned her approval, and the sound made him almost explode, her response to him made his dick throb anew as she continued stroking him. It felt so good, too good.

"You gotta slow down sweetheart," He murmured, reaching down and pulling her hand out of his pants, "Or this is gonna be over way before I want it to be."

He kissed her again and brought his hands back over her stomach as she hissed out a breath. She couldn't get enough of his touch; he was firm but gentle, so unlike what she had been used to.

Slowly he inched his hand down under the elastic of her panties, and he found her wet, "Fuck me, Paulina, that's nice," He groaned as his fingers connected with her skin, it was sweet torture and her back arched off the bed.

"Oh god, more," She moaned, and he slid a finger inside her, then another as his thumb brushed against the bundle of nerves that was the center of her world right now. It had been a long time for her, "Oh, I'm gonna…"

"Don't cum yet, Paulina," He said as he swiftly pulled his fingers away from her and she sighed.

"Please…" If he wanted her to beg for it, she would. She would do anything he wanted, and clearly, he had a few new tricks up his sleeve, he'd never made her wait to cum when they were younger.

"Not yet, I'll make it so good, I promise," He whispered as his lips made their way over her stomach, and lower still until his face was against her panties. Daryl breathed her in and moved his lips and tongue against the damp material.

Paulina was coming undone fast as Daryl brought his hands over her thighs letting his thumbs swipe across the material, making her arch her back in pleasure. Whoever taught him this was ok in her book.

Daryl continued, alternating with his fingers and tongue across her panties until Paulina's body was on fire for him, and she was mumbling gibberish, then he pulled them down her legs.

Slowly he brought his hands over the inside of her thighs and pulled her legs apart, he gazed down at her with lust hooded eyes and felt dizzy. Dizzy from the sight of her like this, dizzy from the throbbing of his dick straining behind the denim of his jeans. Dizzy with the fact that this was happening again, and that they would be together now.

Then his mouth was on her thigh, and he licked her skin with the flat of his tongue nice and slow until he got where he wanted to be.

"Daryl," She panted, "I haven't had sex in years, I don't think...ahhh."

He licked her again, swirling his tongue around her clit achingly slow and her legs began to shake.

"Me either," He looked up at her from between her thighs and kissed the side of her knee, "You like that sweetheart?"

"Yes," Paulina gripped the sheets next to her as he licked his way from her knee to her inner thigh, "Yes."

"Good idea baby, hang on tight," He said with a wink, then he dove in for the kill.

Soon she was falling apart and screaming his name in the darkness with her hands all over him trying to pull his jeans down. She didn't care that she was acting desperate, she was desperate for it now.

"You sure," He asked as he hovered above her. Paulina nodded, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her dirty, all lips and tongue as they both shucked off his jeans and boxers.

"I'm sure, Daryl, I'm sure," She panted, "Hurry."

"Wait, should I get…"

"It's OK, it's ok I can't..." She pulled him close against her, and he nodded that he understood what she meant. Later she would tell him she'd had her tubes tied after Jilly was born so that there were no more children with Kevin. Now was not the time to bring that up.

"Oh, fuck yes. Fuck. Yes," Daryl moaned as he entered her slowly, wanting to savor every part of her. She was tight and warm and wet, and his head was spinning from the feel of her. He found a slow, steady pace, even though every cell in his body wanted to fuck her into the mattress.

There was time for that later, for now, he took it nice and slow with lots of kissing and lovely words for her. The moved together in sync as they touched and kissed each other's bodies, untroubled that they were both sweating.

Daryl pushed her hair out of her face and kissed her sweetly again, then trailed kisses down over her neck and murmured to her again that she was beautiful and felt so good.

He watched the skin across her chest flushing and her breathing becoming faster, "Are you close?" Daryl asked, and she nodded.

"So close," Paulina moaned.

Then he stepped up the pace just a little bit to tip her over the edge again before he let go completely.

"Let it go, give it to me; I want it so bad," Daryl moaned into her ear, and Paulina's body reacted immediately to his words; he owned her already, "Come on honey…"

"Daryl," She moaned, and he loved the sound of his name on her lips like this, "Oh, oh, oh god Daryl," She wrapped her legs around his waist and met him thrust for thrust in all-consuming passion, which would burn her alive.

Paulina was on sensory overload now, the sweat was dripping over her body in a light sheen mingling with his, and the weight of him on top of her was too much for her; she came screaming his name over and over again. Her body shook uncontrollably, and she felt it from head to toe, a tidal wave of pleasure that consumed her entire being.

Daryl had been holding back, trying to keep his mind focused on her and now he let it affect him. He felt his heart pounding out of his chest and the burning need inside himself to make her his forever, and he let the feeling wash over him like a wave.

He rolled over so that she was on top of him, keeping his hands on her waist and Paulina looked down at him as she moved her hips over his. Her hair was wild and, in her face, and she didn't stop moving as she slid her hands over his chest and gazed down at him.

"Do it," She murmured, leaning down to kiss him and it was way too much for him, "Fuck me, Daryl, fuck me good, do it!" She brought her lips down to his neck and sucked hard, and he was done for; between her lips and dirty mouth, he was a goner.

Daryl followed her over the edge as her body and her words pulled his orgasm out of him with a sweet force unlike, he'd ever known. He couldn't stop the string of profanity that came from his lips as the back of his eyes went white, and it seemed to last forever.

When she was sure he was done Paulina collapsed on top of him, and Daryl pulled her close to his body, she fit, right there under his arm like she belonged there.

"I found you," He breathed out, as he wrapped his arms around her and settled her beside him and she laughed.

"We found each other, Daryl."

He rolled over to the face her and pulled her close, placing his lips to the side of her head, "I'll always find you," He settled his eyes on hers.

"And I'll always find you," She said giving him a soft kiss.

After a few minutes, he spoke to her in the dark as he took her hand.

"Are you gonna marry me this time or what?"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

With Merle beside Daryl, the kids, Paulina's beaming parents and a few friends Daryl and Paulina pledged themselves to each other forever, and it was a long time coming. It would be forever; they were both completely sure of it, it just took them a little while to get there. In the front row sat Jenny and her husband Joshua and she was beaming too.

When Daryl had called and told her he was getting married she was beside herself with joy and the story was so romantic. The details he shared with her about his and Paulina's previous time together was like a romance novel. She loved Paulina from the first meeting, they were going to be great friends. The mystery of Daryl Dixon was finally solved for her, she was glad she never gave her heart to him because his heart had belonged to this woman right here and always had. It all made sense to her now and she was so happy for her good friend.

This would be the first marriage for Daryl and last marriage for both of them and as they stood there Daryl whispered to Paulina. "Are you sure you don't want to get to know me better?" and she grinned a wide and sweet grin at him.

"I think I know you just fine." She replied.

With a lot of help, they had planned and executed this wedding in two weeks, Daryl took her hand after he made his joke and they turned to the Mayor of the town who was officiating.

"You two ready." He asked and they both answered yes readily.

In the end, they just couldn't wait once they decided and it was such a long time coming that they didn't see any reason to delay it. Their wedding vows came from 'Corpse Bride' a movie they had watched over and over when they were teens.

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows.  
Your cup will never be empty for I will be your wine.  
With this candle, I will light your way in the darkness,  
With this ring, I will ask you to be mine."

Then he slipped the ring on her finger and she repeated the same words back to him, slipping a matching ring on his finger. Jenny and her husband Joshua had flown over from Japan where they were stationed, and she nodded sweetly to Daryl when he turned and looked back at her. Her friend was finally happy after so many years of just getting through life, now Daryl was going to actually live it and she couldn't be happier.

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The day after the wedding and the party afterward Daryl, Paulina, and the kids took off for Daryl's grandfather's cabin in the woods to spend the week fishing, hunting and just being together. From the kitchen window of the simple but clean cabin, Paulina watched as Daryl and their two daughters sat on the dock with fishing poles together for hours.

She had no idea how starved her girls had been for a father figure, it made her sad for them, yet happy that Daryl was with them now. Later they would build a fire and cook any fish they had caught in the fire pit out back. Six months ago, she would have opened up her wrists if it didn't mean leaving her kids with a monster and now? Life was beautiful for all of them.

Daryl was showing the girls how to fish and later he was going to take them and show them how to shoot the crossbow. It wasn't the one he'd taught her with, that one was rusted in his garage at home. But this new one was lighter and would be easier for the kids to hold.

At night after the kids were asleep, they would sit out on the deck and just talk, really talk and they planned the rest of their lives together.

"Do you want more children, Daryl?" She had asked, now feeling foolish that they never discussed it before now. They had been in such a hurry to marry that the subject just never came up.

"Is it selfish if I say no?" He asked, "I mean Katie and Jilly are older and I don't know that I want…" He answered cautiously, if she wanted more babies he'd give them to her, but it wasn't something he had ever allowed himself to think about before.

"I had my tubes tied, I just didn't want to with him but if you wanted to, we could see a doctor…"

Daryl pulled her closer to him on the swing they were sitting on and kissed the side of her head.

"I would never want to put you through all of that."

"But I would, for us if," But he was shaking his head, "If you change your mind just tell me and…"

"You and the girls are all I need."

"They love you so much, you've given them something they never had before." She felt like she was going to cry.

"They're awesome kids, you did great with them, and I know you had no help at all."

"My parents helped, and boy were they glad to see you," She said with a grin.

"Your father shook my hand and thanked me for helping you and your mother cried through the whole ceremony."

"They knew what was going on, I thought I was hiding it but Selina, my parents everyone knew…"

"Like with my old man…" Daryl said wistfully, he had made peace with that long ago.

"Yeah," She said softly, "Like that."

"I appreciate you even thinking of this, but I'm happy with things just the way they are, and I'm going to love and protect you and the girls until I die."

"You know you set the bar for every relationship I ever had," Paulina met his eyes in the twilight and candlelight from the candles she had placed on the table.

"What do you mean?"

"I compared every man to you, and every one of them fell short."

"I did the same thing, Jenny said I was emotionally stunted," He said with a laugh.

She raised her hand, "Frigid."

"Ouch," Daryl winced, "That's a lie."

He stood up and took her by the hands.

"In fact, I'm about ready to disprove that theory again." He winked at her.

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They were giggling like school kids as they climbed the ladder to the loft of the cabin. The girls had the bedroom because Paulina didn't want them climbing up and down the ladder during the night to go to the bathroom, so she and Daryl had the loft. It was an open room with a view of the living area and kitchen below with just spindle railings all around.

"We have to be quiet," She cautioned as they crawled to the open loft that was basically just an open part above the living room with a bed against the wall.

"Don't worry," Daryl answered, "I'll put my hand over your mouth."

She laughed at that as she stooped down because of the pitch of the roof and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. Daryl's eyes went wide at the fact that she didn't have a bra and that he'd missed that. He was off his game today it seemed, always so aware of her now, it would have been fun to think about while they went about their day.

"Oh fuck," He stared at her in the moonlight that was streaming in the floor to ceiling windows in the loft, "Maybe it's my mouth I'm gonna have to cover."

Daryl pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it next to hers and then they were on the bed. For a moment they laid there together looking at the gold bands on their hands.

"I never in a million years thought this would happen," Paulina said to him softly.

"Me either, I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life." He saw that her face was soft, and tears threatened to fall.

"I'm sorry," She whispered softly, and her voice was already cracking.

"No, you don't, it ain't no one's fault, it was just bad timing and we're here now. That's all that matters." He rolled over on top of her, "And I'm trying to get laid here, so no crying ok?"

She was smiling then, he could always make her smile and that was all that mattered, and he leaned down and kissed her sweetly, then more urgently, and soon they were pulling each other's clothes off. It was still all so new again and wonderful.

Daryl rolled her over on top of him once their pants were off and she slid down onto his dick like they had been doing it for years. She was warm and wet around him and he groaned outload like a bitch.

"Hold on sweetheart, we gotta…"

Paulina was already shaking her head, "I need it now…"

"Oh, fuck yes," He moaned. She was amazing every time they were together in bed, it was like making love to someone who had a fever, she was so warm around him and in his arms. For the rest of his life he knew he would want her like this, they had a lot of time to make up for now.

"Shhhhhhh," Paulina teased.

He gripped her hips and moved her slowly as she leaned down and kissed him again. Then her lips traveled over his neck and Daryl sucked in his breath trying not to make a sound. They found an amazing rhythm as his hands snaked up over her belly and to her breasts.

"Oh fuck," He groaned, "Fuck me, good baby."

He thrust his hips against hers, moving faster now and she could feel it building inside of her. Her body was flushed, and the heat was burning her from the inside out.

"Oh God," She moaned, "Daryl, Daryl." She leaned down and kissed him again and again as if she couldn't get enough of him. She would never be tired of kissing him.

Daryl tried to turn them back over twice, but Paulina wasn't having it, finally, Daryl gave up and just enjoyed her riding his dick like it was the Saturday trifecta. It was so difficult to be silent, he wanted to scream his head off it felt so good.

"That's it, baby," He groaned quietly, "That's it." He reached his hand between their bodies to touch her slippery flesh, "I'm almost there let's do it together…"

"That's not real…"

"Yes, it is," He moaned into her lips and continued stroking her until she was out of her mind and nearly exploding all around him, "Yes it is, come on sweetheart," He stared into her eyes as he continued thrusting his hips into her and watching his dick go in and out of her as his fingers stroked her clit just right.

"Oh, god…" She moaned softly, "Oh my god…don't stop, don't stop."

"I won't, I won't, baby," He whispered back, and he never stopped, "Come on give it to me good."

"Oh, Daryl I love you so much," She leaned down and kissed him all the while moving her hips faster and faster, "I love your cock, I can't live without it."

"It's all for you." He gasped out, "All for you baby forever."

She brought her lips over to his ear. "Give it to me, I want all of it, every bit. Come inside me." She whispered hotly in his ear, "Come inside me."

"No," He answered and pushed up to turn around, in one swift move he had her flipped over onto her stomach and he came down on top of her to whisper in her ear, "You're gonna cum with my dick inside you."

His hot breath made her hair stand on end, he pushed her legs apart, taking time to admire her perfect ass, then he was inside her, pressing his body down onto hers and she let out a grunt along with him.  
"Oh, fuck!" She cried, he was pushing her into the mattress with his hard body, then she felt two fingers alongside her throbbing center on either side and she was almost done.

"You want it?" He said as he pushed his hips against her in a slow steady rhythm that was burning her alive right there in their bed. Daryl was hard as stone and determined to fuck her until she couldn't see straight.

"Yes, oh please," Paulina tried to move her hips to get him to either move faster or get his fingers to move, but he was too heavy and holding her down; she couldn't get any part of him where she needed it.  
Daryl was breaking out in a sweat and so was she, he slid his fingers against her flesh at a teasing and slow pace and pumped his cock even slower in and out of her. Paulina couldn't move, she was totally under his control and ready to explode. He licked his way up her back and landed on her neck where he sucked hard and left a mark on her.

"Who fucks you right?" He breathed into her ear, he needed to cum, but he was going to make her beg first, as promised.

"You do," Paulina answered right away as her face got pushed into the pillow and she felt herself being filled up with his perfect cock.

"You wanna cum?"

"Please, Please," She nodded her head, and wiped her sweaty face against the pillow, "I need it."

"I know you do sweetheart," He looked down and watched his hips slamming into her ass while he fucked her nice and slow, "Who's the boss of you?" He slid his fingers on either side of her clit and she practically sobbed with relief. Her breathing was coming out in little puffs now the closer she got to oblivion.

"You," She moaned as she felt the feeling washing over her, her entire body was tingling and vibrating, "Oh god! You, Daryl, you!" She yelled and came so hard her pussy was like a vice on his dick, squeezing until he couldn't take anymore, and he came with a roar right after her.

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They stayed up late that night afterward talking about the life they were starting together. Sometimes in life, you got handed something wonderful and both of them knew to never take it for granted.

For fifteen years they had missed each other, wished for each other and now they were together by some miracle. But that was how it started with them anyway. That's how it had always seemed to Dar-yl, the fact that Paulina had even given him the time of day back in high school was a miracle.

Seeing her walking towards him at that bonfire was a miracle in his eyes and he took her hand that night even though he was so afraid. Later Paulina had told him that she'd known all along that they were meant to be. He was her miracle too.

When they were young life had not been so complicated and now things were so different, yet their feelings remained as sweet and innocent as that night. When she was with him, she felt like she was sixteen again.

As they reminisced about their life together before and now that night it was finally the way it was supposed to be.


	11. Chapter 11

Daryl woke up first the next morning as he laid there staring at her in the sunlight, he realized he had everything he ever wanted in life now. If he died tomorrow, he would be a happy man, he would have had his heart's desire.

The thought even two years ago that he and Paulina would be together and married one day had been so far from his mind. This was his reality now, she was his and he was hers for the rest of their lives. He swept her hair from her face to see her clearly and her eyes opened.

"Morning," She said as she stretched, and he smiled.

"Morning honey," Daryl answered as he ran his fingers down her neck.

"How long were you laying there looking at me like a creeper?"

"Just a few minutes but the view was spectacular," He replied with a grin as his hand found its way down over her shoulder.

"It doesn't feel real sometimes doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't, but it is, it's finally you and me forever and ever now Paulina," He kissed her softly, "Nothing is going to keep us apart ever again."

She kissed him back and wound her arms around his neck, sliding her leg over his and finally pulling herself over him. Daryl gazed up at his wife, the only woman he had ever loved.

"What's this?" He asked as she pushed her hips against his, and he slipped his hands under the oversized T-shirt she had on, "Morning sex? And it's not even our birthday?"

"Oh, you just wait till our birthday this year, I was thinking we can come back here, maybe do some fishing and hunting, just you and me?"

"Are you for real?" Daryl grinned up at her.

"For real and forever." She leaned down to kiss him. "I always loved your hair long like this," She said as she pushed his hair out of his eyes. She leaned down to kiss him and just as she did voices floated up from the first floor.

"Mom," The girls called up, "Daryl, we made French toast."

Both of them sighed but laughed, this was life with kids.

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For the rest of the week they spent time with the kids, Daryl did show them both how to use the crossbow but warned them never to touch it unless he was with them. During the day they fished in the lake and Paulina cooked whatever they caught.

At night they made campfires and sat outside talking. Daryl told the girls stories about their mother when she was young and promised to take them hunting. When the girls fell asleep at night, they carried them in and put them to bed.

A few times they went out on the back deck in the hot tub and sometimes they just went right up to the loft. Most nights it was the hot tub then the bed.

"Ever do it in a hot tub before Lina?"

She shook her head, "You?" She quirked her eyebrow at him.

"Nope," He grinned, "But there's always a first time isn't there?"

Paulina stepped into the tub and sat down leaning against him as he wrapped his arms around her. She settled down against his chest and let out a sigh of contentment. His wet arms were so massive and his body so hard against hers. It felt so good to be in love.

Paulina moved around and got comfortable between his legs and her head was just below his shoulder as Daryl leaned over and kissed the side of her head.

"I could stay here all night," She said.

He pulled her closer. This was a huge tub with enough water to cover them both, but he wanted her as close as possible.

"I know you were stressed, I could tell. This will help yeah?"

She nodded. It would more than help.

"Thank you."

He reached up and started to rub her shoulders, he really was perfect, wasn't he?

"Daryl, you don't have…."

"Shhhhhhhh." He whispered against the back of her head. "Just lay here and take it."

She nodded slowly and then he was lifting her and turning her around so he could rub her feet too. He did one and then the other, kissing each of her toes and looking at her through the curtain of his hair that was hanging over his eyes. He moved his hand through his hair, swiping it away with some water and then went right back to rubbing her foot.

She really couldn't believe she was in a hot tub getting her feet rubbed by a gorgeous man when just a few weeks ago she thought her life was over.

Life really had a way of giving you unexpected things at just the right time, didn't it?

After a while she turned around so that she could face him and sit on his lap, kissing him softly she whispered into his ear, "Here's to a lot of firsts for us."

They poured some wine and drank a few sips and toasted each other in the quiet of the night. There was nothing but the sound of crickets and the moonlight augmented by a few candles they had lit around the deck.

Paulina grinned and leaned back as she pulled off her bathing suit top, making sure to give him a show. Daryl's eyes went wide at the sight of her wet flesh before him.

"Oh fuck yes, that's what I'm talking about…" He growled at her.

He sat up more in the tub and she was on his lap now with one leg on either side of him. She rose up to put their glasses down and her breasts were right in his face. He reached up, because what man wouldn't, and she arched her back just right. He couldn't get his hands on her fast enough. The moonlight lit up her skin, or was it the candles? Something and his hands and lips were on her in a second. He let out a groan at the feel of her breasts in his hands, so good, so perfect. Daryl's hand slid against her wet skin over her hips and back up to where they were. She sighed as his hands palmed her breasts and his tongue slid against hers.

This was not the skinny kid behind the school or at Merle's party afraid of his own shadow anymore. She liked the man he had become. He was self-assured and a little cocky, and his words just threw gasoline on the fire that burned in her eyes all night anyway.

Paulina settled on his lap and could feel his dick, hard and ready against her and she was already in a sweat from the heat of the tub. He kissed her like he meant business and his hands on her certainly meant business.

Daryl pulled her close to him and brought his lips to her skin and the feel of his lips on her made her sigh out loud. He made her feel so good and it had been a long time since she was with anyone before just a few weeks ago.

"This ok?" He asked and she nodded her head, digging her fingers into his hair. His lips went from one breast to the other and she was almost there.

"Don't stop." She moaned bringing her hips across his lap and she huffed out a breath as she felt him against her. "Don't, I'll kill you if you do."

He grinned with his cheek against the side of her breast as he brought his hand over her stomach and traveled lower. The steam was rising out of the bath and making them both sweat and Paulins felt like she was on sensory overload.

"I'm not stopping." He whispered against her skin and his hands traveled all over her body. "Not till you're screaming out my name."

"Fuck, Daryl…" She cried when she felt his fingers touching her. He loved how responsive she was to him.

He slid his fingers against her and she moaned out loud, the sound of her made his dick ache and with every stroke against her. Some girls kept quiet, not knowing what a turn on words really were, not Paulina. She was going to make him come just by all the talking she was doing.

"Fuck don't stop." She said laying her head on his shoulder.

"I won't." He answered, sliding one finger inside her and then two. His lips were on her neck, sucking softly and she was in complete bliss. "I won't baby, I won't."

"Mmmm." Was all she could choke out as she felt the pulling start from her gut and all the way to her toes.

"Come on baby, give it to me." He breathed into her ear. "I want you to cum, Paulina"

He could feel her body reacting and he wasn't letting up on her until he got what he wanted. She was boneless in his lap as the water sloshed over the side of the tub and her breathing got more ragged.

"Now, Paulina…now."

She kept her head on his shoulder and held on to him as the waves rushed over her body, steady and delicious.

Then Paulina pulled his face up to hers and kissed him hard. "Fuck me Daryl."

Before he had a chance to grasp what was happening, she had raised up and her hands were on his shoulders. Paulina was above him and grinning down at him.

"Ready?" She asked. Usually it was the other way around and he was struggling to please whatever woman he was with and she was asking him? It had happened so fast with her and he was more than ready.

He looked up at her and nodded and she smiled the most perfect smile he had ever seen. Her hair was hanging down in little ringlets around her face and she was moving over him. Then he felt her around him, and he threw his head back, almost knocking over his wine on the back of the tub.

His hands gravitated to her hips and settled there as she rocked back and forth slowly. Paulina watched as his eyes closed and his face relaxed, she leaned down and kissed him softly.

"Jesus…" He groaned out against her lips. He was trying to hold out, but it wasn't going to happen, and he finally just went with it. She felt so hot and wet around him and he couldn't hold back.

The feeling overtook him in seconds, and he was exploding inside her in a rush of passion and curses. Then he held her tight against him as both their breathing calmed down.

"I'm sorry I'm so loud." She whispered as the sound of night creatures in the forest

"Are you kidding me?" He pulled her close. "That's the best part."

She smiled at him. "You weren't so quiet either I guess."

"Told ya, ain't nobody around to see or hear anything." He said shivering as the water cooled off.

She stepped up and reached for a towel and glided out of the tub as he watched her, with hungry eyes. He already wanted her again. He got out and leaned over to kiss her again, Daryl would never grow tired of kissing his wife.

"What's this you don't use a top sheet?"

"I never have," Daryl replied and he could see her mind working, "Only in the military when I had to but at home never."

"Daryl, neither do I, I must have remembered that from when we were together," Paulina replied, "I just thought I was a weirdo," She laughed.

"Well, you are..." He laughed and she loved him so much then and knew they would be together for the rest of their lives.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kevin dropped off the planet it seemed, and the girls didn't hear from him for almost seven months. It didn't matter, Daryl was their father now and they had ever started calling him Dad. The flu was bad that fall and all four of them were just recovering from it when Kevin called and dropped his bomb.

For a man who threw a shit fit when she took "his kids" to live with another man, Kevin never came around to even see the girls now.

Paulina hung up the phone and turned to Daryl, "He's moving to New Jersey," She hissed, "He met someone on EHarmony."

"What?"

"He's on his way over to tell the girls now."

"Jesus, is he nuts?" Daryl replied, even though he himself was known to do some crazy things for love, like carry around pictures for fifteen years; but this made no sense though.

Kevin came and took the girls out for ice cream and explained to them that he was leaving in two weeks but would keep in touch with them, he was just leaving as Selena pulled up.

"Ew, what did he want," She asked as she got out of the car and as Daryl took the girls inside Paulina explained it all.

At dinner Selena dropped the bomb that she had tickets to an out of town concert and wanted Paulina to go.

"Come see Pearl Jam, huh it's a few months away so no excuses, we're having a girl's weekend."

Paulina looked over at Daryl and he brought his head to hers, "I can handle the kids you go have fun…"

She smiled at him and he winked at her.

"I'll just take it out of your ass tonight…" He whispered to her.

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Paulina was in heaven, just as he had promised she would be.

At the moment Daryl was pulling her to the edge of the bed slowly by her knees and putting them over his shoulders. He had managed to get her out of her clothes in three minutes when they got to their room.

He licked the inside of her ankle and already she was squirming already. Some men didn't know what they were doing between a woman's legs, but she had married someone who did, thank Christ. He knelt at the foot of the bed in just his boxer shorts, holding her legs up on his shoulders.

He looked at her sideways and she swore she saw his sixteen-year-old self just then.

The way he looked at her, the turn of his eyes and that crooked grin, she swore it was that gangly kid looking back at her.

The memory would have knocked her off her feet if she had been standing.

"Mmmmmmmmm." he said moving up to her inner thigh and she could feel his hair on her leg and the scruff on his face. He kissed her thigh and moved his face against her.

He was driving her crazy on purpose.

"Stop teasing." She said trying to get up on her elbows.

"I'm not." And he grinned at her again and it was a grin of bad intentions. Then he made his way slowly to her with his fingers first.

She loved his hands, she loved the way they looked and what they could do to her. She couldn't stay on her elbows very long and she just fell back. He laughed and pulled her up to his face saying 'c'mere' into the skin on her thigh.

She let out a long sigh as he licked her, he knew exactly what he was doing, but he was a tease. That only made her crazier to the point where she wanted to grab him by the hair and keep him where she wanted him.

That was when he would grab her hands and hold them against her stomach to keep her still and he did just that, like she expected. He always knew when she was reaching for him and he'd get her hands before she could do it.

Every single time, so then he had both her hands against her stomach, holding her in place and she couldn't do anything. It equally drove her mad and excited her.

Paulina didn't get upset when he held her that way. They trusted each other the way best friends did.

She had lost her best friend, and now he was back.

She wiggled, trying to get t0 the edge of the bed so she could move herself against his face. She needed to cum and she couldn't help moving her hips around now.

He hummed against her and spread her legs wide, rubbing his hand up her thigh. He felt her legs start to tremble there was a difference between a guy going down on you because he wanted something in return and a guy doing it because he liked it.

It was obvious he really liked it, he made it his mission to pay attention so every movement and every sigh she made, and he didn't stop until she was a screaming, trembling mess.

Daryl held her hands against her stomach with one of his as he set out to reduce her to a puddle of jelly and smiled to himself as she came screaming his name.

He crawled up to her and laid down next to her, but Paulina climbed on top of him kissing down his neck the way he liked.

She made her way down his chest leaving wet kisses and little bites along the way until he was going out of his mind. Then she was at his chest and going lower, and now he had his hands in her hair.

When Paulina reached his stomach, he let out a groan, low and deep, and then she was tugging on the waistband of his boxers. He lifted his hip so she could get them off and she made quick work of it.

He brought his hands to her hair. "You don't gotta."

She looked up at him, winked and licked him softly eliciting a moan of total absolute pleasure out of him.

"I want to."

He laid back and her hot, wet mouth was all over him. His cock was ready to explode and he watched as she slid it in and out of her mouth.

He couldn't take it though it was too much, and he was going to lose it if he didn't stop her right away. He wanted to be inside her, he always wanted to be inside her. But she wouldn't stop, he dug his hands into her hair and rode out the wave of sensation she was giving him.

"Oh god Paulina…" He groaned as he felt his balls start to tighten, now she was sucking harder and there was no turning back. Daryl tried to stifle the roar that came out of him then as he watched her swallow every drop of him and then she smiled at him. He pulled her close to him until they were all wrapped up in each other and slept a peaceful sleep that neither of them had had in a really long time, but they had often now that they were next to each other every night.

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	12. Chapter 12

The girls took to Daryl better than either of them could ever imagine. He fulfilled what had been missing in their lives as a father figure. They adored him and he them. Paulina sat on the deck that summer and watched the girls working in the yard with him, planting seeds in their garden and horsing around with the hose.

Sometimes her husband thought he was funny and to the girl's glee he would point the hose and spray Paulina as she sat on the deck. Then he and the kids were soaked, and he pulled off his shirt to hang on the clothesline and Paulina licked her lips as she looked at his strong body, he belonged to her, finally.

Life was good and a year went by in the blink of an eye. Paulina went away for a weekend with Selena in January and Daryl had the kids on his own for the first time and it went wonderfully. They stayed up late and watched movies with him and Merle ate junk food and slept late in the mornings. But he couldn't wait to see his girl. She had sent him a picture of her tits late one night and it just made him miss her more.

*******Don't be sexting me, get home and fuck me was his reply.******

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"I missed you." She said into his shoulder, his face was in her hair, breathing her in and kissing her sweetly.

"Come on, let's go inside, the girls are with Merle." He said taking her by the hand. "Then we can go eat with them and bring the girls back."

"But my suitcase…"

"Ain't goin nowhere…" He said leading her into the house. He could feel the tension radiating off of her from the weekend away and the drive and it was at that moment he realized, he had fucked up.  
The fucking laundry…

He had been starting it the day before when Merle came over to shoot the shit and had totally forgotten. There at that moment was a pile of their clothes up to his waist in the laundry room off the kitchen and as they walked towards the kitchen, he knew the shit was about to hit the fan.

Daryl's smiling and happy to be home wife was going to be replaced with a screaming banshee in three, two, one.

"Oh, Daryl what the fuck?" She turned towards the laundry room. "Goddammit."

"I did everything else, dishes, vacuuming, you hate to vacuum…" He said trying to help her remember that she really did love him, and he really did try to help her as much as he could. "Don't the house look good."

The house did look good, and she didn't appreciate his effort at all.

"You left me the worst and longest and most tedious job." She roared at him. When she was like this he was always reminded of the quote from Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew.' "Though she be little, she is fierce."

That was his wife, the woman who when they were sixteen told Merle to fuck off when he called her "Red" too many times.

Though she be little, she is fierce. And he was a dead man.

"Daryl, I am so tired, and I have to work a twelve tomorrow, why didn't you do the one thing I really needed you to do?"

"The kids…and then Merle." He said looking into her eyes for some flash of love, but it was hate, she hated him right now and he knew it.

"The kids, what? I handle the kids and work full time and do every other fucking thing around here so you can sit out on the deck with Merle every night drinking your beers and smoking."

"It ain't that bad…"

That was the wrong thing to say because she looked like she would stab him if she had a knife in her hand.

"Yes." She screamed. "It is."

She turned and went towards the laundry to pick it up and start throwing it in the machine. He followed after her, which he knew was a mistake, but she had thrown down now.  
"Paulina. Stop." He put his hands on her shoulders. "I'll help you now."

"I don't want your help." She screamed. "Get out of my sight Daryl, before I say something I'll regret."

"Just fucking say it." He leaned in close to her but raising his voice with every word. "I fucked up again. As usual."

"You fucked up again." She hissed and looked down at the pile of laundry. "You fucked up big time."

Now she stared him down and they stood face to face, glaring at each other. They rarely fought, but when they did? It was a battle royal, screaming and cursing often happened.

Finally, Daryl turned to leave like she wanted him to. Before going he punched the far wall in the laundry room and the entire rod of clothes that had been drying since Paulina last did laundry fell down at their feet.

He stood in the doorway, with his arm on the jam seething now, because he would have to fix the rod and he heard the strangest thing, Paulina was laughing, a full-on hysterical laugh. His shoulders started to shake, and he didn't want her to see him laughing but he couldn't help it.

Daryl turned and allowed himself to laugh with her because it was funny and soon, they both stopped laughing. Then he was on her, the hug and kiss outside the house hadn't been enough and now they were yanking at each other's clothes fiercely.

"How long do we have?" Paulina asked in between wet sloppy kisses, the best kind as far as she was concerned.

"Long enough." He said as he lifted her up onto the washing machine and pulled her jeans down, along with her panties. He went in for one last kiss and then he was pulling her sweatshirt over her head. She hadn't bothered with a bra; she just wore a tank top with a shelf bra.

He licked his lips as he looked at her. All these years later since the first time, and he still wanted her desperately.

"I missed you so much." He said kissing her again, shoving his tongue into her mouth almost brutally.

"Me too baby." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Me too."

He kissed down her neck and bit her lightly just as he got to her collar bone.

"Put your feet up and spread your legs sweetheart."

"Are you kidding?" She whispered. "What if Merle…"

"He ain't coming near here, I guarantee he heard us yelling."

That was true, their houses were across the street from each other and noises sometimes carried since they were the only two houses on the street and it was a dirt road. No one was coming near the house.  
"Come on." He winked at her. "Scoot up and lay back."

He knelt down on the pile of laundry as she lay back and ran his hands over her legs and up her thigh. Then he brushed his cheek against her and felt her shudder at the feel of the scruff of his beard against her skin.

Then his lips were on her thigh and he was spreading her wide. The first time he had done this with her they were sixteen and his old man was passed out drunk in the living room. They had to be quiet then, and he didn't really know what he was doing then but not now. Now he knew exactly what buttons to push.

She let out a sigh as she felt his tongue slide along her lips towards her clit and when he got there, he swirled his tongue in just the right way, every time. She broke out in goose bumps immediately and then when he slid one finger inside her and her head hit the wall behind them.

"Oh my god, I love you…" She cried as he continued swirling his tongue around just the way she liked it. Soon she felt it rising in her belly and making her heart beat fast. He responded by sliding another finger inside her and she was there in a second.

The heat of her and the feeling of her cumming around his fingers and on his face was almost too much. Daryl's dick had been aching since he saw her from the porch and now it was hard as a fucking rock. He didn't move as she rode her orgasm out because the view he had was his favorite of all.

He licked her one more time, slow like he was licking an ice cream cone and she moaned out loud. Then he was on his feet and unbuckling his pants. Paulina sat up and watched him, the sound of his belt buckle did things to her. The anticipation she felt reminded her of the first time she heard that noise, and it was always the same feeling.

She needed it and she needed him, for as long as she could remember, it had been him.

"Hurry." She said and he grinned at her as she scooted forward. Then he smiled the devil's smile as he rubbed the head of his dick all around her wetness.

Paulina had enough and pulled him against her and inside her and they both let out a moan that Merle could probably hear clear across the street. Usually, they took it slow, but not this time, maybe it was the weekend separation or the fight, but this was not slow.

The expression 'Fuck me like you hate me.' Came to his mind and he laughed as he pulled her off the washing machine and laid her down on the pile of laundry that started this whole thing. They didn't hate each other, not by a long shot. They were the most in love couple people had ever seen, but they fought. They fought loud and made up loud, it had always been that way with them right from the jump.  
Daryl fucked his wife like it was the first time and the last time. He kissed her urgently and ran his hands over her breasts as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The sweat was rolling off of them in the small laundry room and he looked down at her. She was so beautiful with her red hair all around her head like a halo, then she reached up and pulled him down for another kiss.

"Goddamn sweetheart." Was all he could manage before they both fell off the cliff they were dangling from since she had pulled in the driveway.

Then he looked down at her once again and she pushed his hair out of his face and smiled up at him, he smiled back and winked at her.

"Welcome home."

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His phone rang in the garage the next day and Daryl answered pleased to hear her voice. Their fight and makeup session was still fresh in his mind and he smiled again remembering it. Makeup sex was the bomb. Apparently, there were a few other chores he had forgotten but this time she was in a good mood over it.

"Hey, sweetheart…"

"If you don't start remembering to scoop the litter box, I'm never sucking your dick again," Paulina said to him without preamble, and Daryl laughed.

"You are such a liar," He said with a grin and then he sneezed.

"Bless you babe, looks like the flu is gonna be bad this year they say…."

"Still not getting a flu shot," He teased.

"Tonight we're going to have a conversation about collective immunity…"

"How will you be talking if you got my dick in your mouth?"

On the other end of the phone Paulina laughed for a good two minutes before they said goodbye, they were so good together it made her heart burst sometimes.

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The hospital that Paulina worked with called an emergency meeting to discuss the latest outbreak of H1N1 later that day after she called Daryl. It was looking like it was going to be worse this year and everyone was to get the mandatory flu shot and were told that their families could also get the shot for free.

She laughed with her coworker, because Daryl, her big strong man was petrified of needles. She made a mental note to get the girls there for their shots and to work on Daryl's courage. If this flu was as bad as the H1N1 outbreak of 2013 they were in for it, she didn't want him to get sick.

She didn't want to lose him, they had only just found each other and he was going to have to face his fears. She knew just how to soften him up to the idea too.

3333333333333333333

Paulina rushed home and pulled into the driveway so fast she kicked up a huge ball of red Georgia dust and she didn't even care as it almost choked her as she got out of the car. It was Friday and the kids were spending the night at her mother's, Daryl had driven them over after closing the garage and was coming home straight away. She jumped out of the car, slammed the door and ran up the steps to the house, dropping her keys in a basket by the door and her purse on the couch she headed to their side of the house.

Tonight, was their night alone, they loved having the kids around and they still made love every night, but tonight they could let loose and have fun together like when they were young.

From the foyer she headed to the other side of the house where their bedroom and bathroom were, the house wasn't large, but their room was away from the kid's rooms. Daryl had designed and built this house for them, the kitchen and the girls' rooms were down another hall from their room, but it was still nice to have the house to themselves for a night.

She was just heading down the hall to their room for a quick shower when Daryl came up behind her and picked her up. She let out a scream and a laugh, he always did the most romantic things for her, how different this marriage was from her first. They were so happy together and had so much fun, Paulina didn't mind that they missed the beginning of life with each other, they would never be apart again. The best was yet to come, and the rest of their lives together.

Her man had a bottle of wine and two plastic cups that he must have gotten on his way home. She hadn't even heard him come in, as usual. All those years of hunting with Merle for food to put on the table made him stealth, and he used to his advantage all the time.

"Hey, sweetheart, I've been thinking of this all day long." He purred into her ear as he carried her bridal style down the hall, "Let's get drunk as fuck and," He winked, "Fuck." He grinned at her as he kicked open their bedroom door.

He tossed her on the bed and crawled over to her as she poured them two cups of wine remarking how classy they had become to use solo cups to drink Pinot Grigio. Daryl laughed at her as they sat back against the headboard together and sipped as they watched the sun go down outside through the sliding glass door opposite the bed. Outside on their personal area of the deck was a jacuzzi and some privacy fence.

"Later we can go for a soak OK?" He said rubbing his hand on her leg.

"Later?" She teased as she finished her first cup and Daryl knew she would already start getting silly, he poured her another large cup. The kids were safe at her mother's house and they could be free to be silly together if they wanted to, "Watch it, Dixon, you know what happens when I get drunk."

"I know, I'm counting on it," He grinned and set his cup down on the bedside table. He got up and toed off his unlaced boots and untied of her sneakers making a show of tossing them over his shoulder, and then he was on top of her again, "We can be loud and there ain't no one to hear us."

Then he pulled at her socks and scrub pants until she lay there before him in just her panties and a tank top. He was about to pull her to the edge of the bed when she protested.

"Drop em, I'm not being the only one undressed here," She sat up on her elbows and watched as he pulled off his shirt. Then licked her lips as he unbuckled his pants and shucked them off, so he was just in his boxers, his sizable erection was obvious, and she groaned out loud. Years ago, he had teased her about being addicted to his cock, but it wasn't a lie.

"You want this," He reached down and stroked himself in front of her and she nodded vigorously, "You gotta wait till I'm done having my way with you..."

Paulina looked up at him and his eyes were twinkling.

"Touch it again for me Daryl…" She breathed out and he obliged her as he stood over her with his dick in his hand.

"I'll touch anything you want baby," He leaned down and kissed her dirty while he stroked his cock for her enjoyment. She gazed back as if she couldn't look away and his eyes grew dark with lust as he watched her breathing becoming ragged.

"Come're," He grinned down at her and she grinned back raising up on her elbows.

In one quick move, Daryl grabbed her around the ankles and pulled her towards the foot of the bed where he got on his knees. As he kissed her again, he looked at her and there was no question of his intent. After had unveiled all of her he licked his lips at the sight of her in just her red underwear.

"You look delicious," He said running his hands over her leg and smiling an amused and devilish smile.

Paulina nodded vigorously as Daryl brought his hands over her thighs and pushed her legs apart, swiping his thumbs over the material of her panties, "We can take our time tonight," He growled low in his chest as he brought his fingers back and forth over the silky material.

He watched her reaction as his thumbs made slow lazy circles over her pussy and she squeaked the way she had done the night before. This was heaven to him, to have a woman that responded this way to him, she made all manner of noises and the way her body moved under his hands let him know he was on the right track.

Paulina arched her back as he brought his lips down to her thigh, laying open-mouthed kisses along her skin, and never stopping his fingers as he watched her reaction.

"You like that?"

"Yes," She breathed out, "Oh my God."

"You want more," He asked, sliding his fingers under the waistband of her panties and bringing his eyes up to meet hers.

"Yes," Paulina moaned, he already had her dangling off a cliff, and it had only been a few minutes. Slowly and methodically Daryl slid her panties down her legs and looked up at her with the devil in his eyes.  
"Now," He kissed her knee and slid his tongue higher, "We're gonna have some real fun."

Daryl watched as she gripped the sheets on either side of her and he'd hardly done anything yet. He spread her legs wide and gazed at the sight before him for just a second before licking her slowly with the flat of his tongue.

"Oh Jesus Daryl," She cried, gripping the sheets harder as he licked her with precision like a pro. Clearly, he knew his way around a woman's body and every touch and kiss sent thrills through her body and anticipation for what was going to happen next.

Next, she felt his fingers first one then two inside her and his tongue making light swipes over her clit until she was almost out of her mind. Her hands had found their way into his hair and she gripped him hard, holding on tight for dear life.

"Sorry, oh I'm sorry," She let go slightly, realizing she was pulling hard on his hair.

Daryl chuckled and slid his eyes up to look at her, "Nah don't be, I like it," He answered and then he was right back down between her legs doing his evil and driving her out of her mind.

Paulina was well aware that some men ate pussy because they wanted payback, and some ate it because they loved it, Daryl was the latter, it was abundantly clear to her, and although she tried to hold out, she couldn't.

"Oh my god, I'm gonna cum..." She moaned and he didn't stop, she watched his head move back and forth as she gripped his hair tighter. She'd never watched before, it was the most erotic thing she had ever seen.

"Do it honey," He crooned, pushing his tongue inside of her and sliding his slippery fingers along her lips to her clit and back again until he got what he wanted from her.

Paulina felt her scalp start to tingle and the feeling started rushing over her body in waves, her arms went weak as she let go of his hair and gave herself over to the feeling.

It went on forever, she thought, and he drank her like fine wine until the last drop was gone.

"Oh god dammit get up here," She demanded as she pulled him up and he crawled over her. Paulina frantically reached for his cock, her fingers fumbling and pulling until he was completely out of his boxers.  
Paulina let out a moan of satisfaction when he was finally inside her, and Daryl responded in kind with a grunt as he started fucking her hard. He rolled over so that she was on top of him and she looked down at him, moving her hips against his without missing a beat.

"That's it, baby, fuck me, fuck me," He groaned, bringing his hands up to her hips and watching her breasts move with every thrust of her hips, she was a glorious sight.

"I'm gonna," She panted, "I'm gonna fuck you so good baby."

Her hair hung in his face as she went at him with everything she had, and he was losing it fast. If he didn't roll them back over and take some control back it was going to be all over with, and he wasn't done with her yet.

"God you're unbelievable," He groaned as she pulled him up and wound her legs around his waist. For a moment in time, they were face to face, unmoving and something passed between them, some kind of emotion, a connection but it was gone as quickly as it happened. Later they would both wonder separately what that had been.

Daryl rolled them both over and lifted her legs up, holding her by the thighs and slowed down, he stared into her eyes and they burned into her, she couldn't look away.

His grip never loosened, and his fingers dug into the flesh of her thigh as he fucked her nice and slow. Paulina felt it swirling inside of her again, it wouldn't take much, she was almost there again.

Daryl watched as the red flush rose over her chest and he knew she was close again.

"Come on baby," He pulled out of her and then pushed in hard, "Cum all over my dick, Lina"

His dirty mouth made the hair on her arms stand up in a good way and she kept eye contact with him as his words pulled her over the edge into the abyss again.

"Oh, fuck yes Daryl fuck yes," She cried as sweat dripped down over their bodies, and she pulled him down on top of her and held him tight.

He could feel her body pulsating around his dick; that was the going to be the end of it, and he groaned in ecstasy. Just before he lost it completely, he pulled out and took her hand and before she knew it she was on her stomach. Paulina felt his grip on her hips as he pulled her back on his cock and her head hit the pillows at the head of the bed.

It was so deep.

There was no way he could stop it again and he came with a roar as everything went white behind his eyes. Somehow, he found himself lying next to her when it was over and she was trembling again and so was he. This time he wasn't surprised; it was the effect they had on each other.

"Oh my God, you're fucking amazing," He moaned as he pulled her close and wrapped the blanket around them, and she let out a soft sigh of contentment. Daryl lay a sweet kiss on the side of her head and she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

"No, you are," She murmured softly and as they talked quietly, Paulina had convinced him to get a flu shot. "I love you forever, for always, no matter what."  
Daryl met her eyes, "No matter what."


	13. Chapter 13

I'm working hella overtime this week so I won't be able to post until later in the week so I figured I'd start the second half of this story now. Here it comes, love ya! From now on its one chapter per posting, but they are pretty long.

 **/**

She had been out seeing patients all day, and it was so hectic all morning, this new flu was bad this year, much worse than 2013, and the year before but most experts agreed that it could go pandemic like in 1918. She went from house to house gloving and masking up, washing her hands till they were raw; everyone had it. This was not good, the military had been seen out on the freeway all week, and Paulina had a bad feeling.

Then Katie and Jilly called around ten am.

They said the school was closing for the week and begged her to come and sign them out. Paulina was not one to give into this kind of thing, but the news reports scared her, so after a phone call to Daryl at work she went to pick up the kids.

"Meet me at home, go right there baby, something is going on."

"I will," She answered.

"Don't go anyplace else…"

"I won't," She replied.

"Maybe I should come get you…" Daryl questioned.

"No, no that will take too long, I'll be there soon. Don't worry and I love you, babe."

"Love you too sweetheart."

Then they were disconnected, and Daryl was sure he had just made a big mistake. The garage was just a mile from home, but she was farther and in the opposite direction. He should have gone to get her, and he didn't know then just how long he was going to regret that decision.

There would come a time when he couldn't live with himself because of this one moment in time. This one choice had changed the course of both of their lives for a long time to come. both of them would hate themselves over this one phone call.

Daryl had seen the news at work, and they were telling people to stay inside, lock their doors and not approach the sick ones roaming the street. The shit had hit the fan within hours and no one was expecting it.

There were rumors of the dead getting up and walking, it was a complete clusterfuck and they needed to ride this shit out at the cabin. As soon as Paulina got there with the kids, the four of them and Merle were getting out of dodge.

/

Paulina had been on her way to pick the girls up at school when the road home was closed but she didn't know that at the time. She had met Cindy at the school in the parking lot; she and Chuck had packed the car and come to get Nicolette, their only child; they were heading to Atlanta. So, Paulina scooped up her kids and attempted the drive home as people ran every which way in the street.

"Cover your eyes girls, don't look." She instructed as they ran all hand in hand from the school to the parking lot. All out chaos was happening all around them and Jilly was starting to cry.  
People were just running in all different directions and she just wanted to get home. She got the girls into the car and started it up, then paused to try and call Daryl but there was no answer.

/

The phone lines went down soon after that either from over usage or maybe some other more sinister reason. Either way, there was no way for anyone to get in touch with their loved ones. As they both tried to call each other the realization was creeping over each of them that this was the worst thing that ever happened to Georgia and maybe the entire world.

Daryl rang her phone as he and Merle booked it out of the shop as all hell broke loose around them and got her voice mail, he had no idea where she was, "Paulina go straight home, and I'll meet you there, don't go anywhere else, this is some bad shit."

"She's probably got the kids already brother, they aren't far away."

"Five miles, it's just five miles from home to the school," Daryl repeated to himself like a mantra as they hauled ass out of there in the truck towards home, "She'll be ok right Merle?" Daryl looked over at him desperately and Merle nodded.

"Your woman is strong, you made her strong long ago and she's gonna be just fine." Even if he doubted his words Merle knew he had to say them, he had to be strong for his brother, Daryl was the sweet one.

/

"I ain't losing her again Merle, I just got her back!" Daryl paced at the house when there was no sign of Paulina and the kids by nightfall, "I ain't leaving here till she shows up!"

Outside there was noise and destruction as their neighborhood fell to the ground around them. There was screaming in the distance and Merle was suddenly aware that they were in some deep shit. His house, just across the street had been looted by people they had never seen before.

"Daryl we gotta get out of dodge, these dead ones...look at this shit that's going on!" He stopped talking as if trying to remember something, or just to get the right words together, and started again, "She knows how to get to the cabin, she'll go there…"

"I ain't leaving my wife and kids Merle and that's final!"

"Fucking fine, let's risk our lives and go look for her in the dark…come on." He said and Daryl was in his face nearly pushing him against the wall. Like the good brother he was, Merle just took it, he knew Daryl was out o his mind with grief.

"She'd do it for you, and you know it, now don't be an asshole!" Daryl raged and Merle just took it, he knew his brother was busted over this. He rolled the motorcycle into Daryl's truck and they prepared to leave home forever.

/

There was a traffic jam on the freeway and hundreds of abandoned cars, Paulina knew there was no way they could drive any longer. She grabbed what she could, and the kids took the books out of their backpacks to carry anything they could scavenge by other cars.

They started to walk home and spent most of that first night hiding from the dead ones, and the people that were still alive. It was crazy how it all went south so fast and people lost their minds, looting and starting fires all over the place.

She knew to stay in the shadows and not to let anyone see them, she kept each girl close to her and a knife in her hand the entire night. She was so thankful for Daryl insisting she keep a knife under the seat of her car, and a crowbar, which unfortunately she had to use on a few people that wouldn't stop coming after them.

It was true, the dead were getting up and walking.

At noon on the day after all this shit went down, they arrived to find Daryl and Merle gone and the quiet neighborhood they lived in almost up in flames. Whatever had happened here had happened fast and the men had bugged out. It was the right thing to do, and she wasn't mad. Daryl probably tried to find her but didn't know where to start, but she would go to him.

Merle's house across the street was silent as the grave too.

"He's at the cabin," Katie said, "He and uncle Merle always said if shit went down…"

"Come on, we're taking Daryl's Range Rover," Paulina said quickly as they went through the kitchen quickly to get a few things that were portable to eat like peanut butter and mixed nuts.

"But the keys…" Katie reminded Daryl had them on his key ring because the truck was a work in progress. It was barely drivable and didn't have a front bumper, he didn't use it at all.

"I'm going to hotwire it." Paulina said, "Now grab Jilly's trail mix and let's go."

"Mom!" Both girls exclaimed, "How do you know how to do that."

"Daryl taught me when we were kids," She laughed as she stood at the door checking to make sure no one or nothing was around, "Now you to stay in here until I got it running and then I'll beep once, no more and you come out."

When she had the car going the girls ran out and jumped in the back, "I grabbed the raisins Jilly insists on taking out of her trail mix too." Katie held up a container of only raisins, their youngest child could not eat raisins with her trail mix and Paulina smiled at that, "They're good for the road right Mom?"

"Yup, nice and portable…" Paulina answered as she locked the doors and threw the truck into gear.

"I'm still not eating them, "Jiily whined.

"Jillian!" Paulina scolded, "Those raisins may save your life one day…"

"Yeah right Mom," Jilly stuck out her tongue in disgust.

'Why could you only beep once?" Katie asked as Paulina turned the truck around in front of the house.

"If you beep or shoot more than once they can find you," She said as they peeled out of the driveway.

"Daryl again," Jilly asked, but she already knew the answer to that.

"You know it," Paulina said as she weaved her way down the road.

/

"You two always lose each other, and you always find each other too," Merle reassured him as they stood down the street from the school where Paulina's abandoned car sat. She had tried to get on the freeway, but it had been backed up so bad they must have gotten out to walk.

"I need my ring, I took it off in the garage yesterday morning to work on that Jag, we gotta go back and get it..." Even as the words came out of his mouth Daryl knew they couldn't risk it, his wedding ring, like his wife, was just gone.

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows.  
Your cup will never be empty for I will be your wine.  
With this candle, I will light your way in the darkness,  
With this ring, I will ask you to be mine."

It all seemed so long ago now.

Thank you for reading! xoxoxox


	14. Chapter 14

They drove all night to the cabin, the backroads took longer and there was so much bullshit going on, the world was going to hell in a handbasket. But they were always mindful to keep an eye out for Paulina and the girls and losing hope by the minute. Wherever she and the girls were, they were not in the woods heading to the cabin.

They waited a day, and then two, while Paulina and the girls were hiding in town and making their way home, Daryl chain smoked and worried, paced and bargained with a God he didn't even believe in.

Then on the third day Daryl went off down the mountain himself to look for them, still nothing. They were just gone.

When he returned Daryl was barely speaking and Merle didn't blame him, after just under two years of marriage they were separated again. Getting to the cabin provided no relief, as they stood on the property, as their few neighbors wandered around aimlessly, the walking dead now, they both feared they would never see the ones they loved so dearly again.

Merle also knew Daryl would never recover this time..

"We gotta go man, there's no one here and it's all fucked up anyway," Merle explained but Daryl could clearly see, Paulina and the girls had not come to the cabin. The few people that lived on the lake had apparently gotten the flu and turned; Daryl hunted and killed every last one looking for his girls.

"What do you suggest we do now?"

"There's people at that quarry back in the woods, remember we passed by them that first night.. Safety in numbers right?. I saw their campfires, cause they're fucking stupid making themselves known like that. But, maybe she's there?"

"Doubt it, Lina knows to cover a campfire that's survival 101, but alright, ain't got nothing better to do." Daryl said as he lifted the crossbow with just one hand and haphazardly shot a bolt into the tree right outside the front door, "In case they come this way..." He said with a life to his chin and Merle understood his pain.

"Sure brother, sure..." He said as they got into Daryl's old blue ford with Merle's Triumph in the back. Somehow Daryl tried not to give up hope, but a woman alone with two kids during this shitshow was a target for all kinds of craziness.

Part of him hoped she was dead, quickly, this kind of kaos would bring out the worst in people and Daryl was terrified at the thought of what could happen to her or the girls. When they were young he had taught her how to fight, and how to fight dirty. She would need that knowledge now, lawlessness had already started and men's hearts were already turning black.

It was as if at the age of sixteen he had known it would come to this someday. He remembered how adamant he had been about teaching her to hunt and fight, it was almost a compulsion for him then. Now, he was fucking glad he had done it, even though at the time it was hard to figure out why it felt so important then...

Hidsight they called it.

Daryl didn't want to go align himself with these assholes at the quarry but part of him held hope that Paulina and the kids were there. It was very possible and his heart filled with hope at the thought of a reunion with his family.

/

There were women at the quarry and children, but none of them were his woman and his kids and Daryl changed because of that. The childhood anger that he had inside of him before he met her that October day in high school was back, tenfold.

He was that abused child again who had no one to love him in the world except Merle and Merle found himself explaining that Daryl had a hard time since it all went to shit. No matter how much Merle wanted him to come clean and tell about Paulina, if for no other reason than to have others on the lookout for her, Daryl wasn't having it.

And what was worse, a week after they had been there he got to watch a reunion of a family happen before his eyes, and it made him piss fire angry that it wasn't his family running to each other.

It was as if the years of discipline and knowledge he obtained in the army was all gone now. She was gone, and what he became because of her was gone now too.

The world was cruel to him, like before, hope was for pussies and Daryl gave fuck all now. For a long time to come he would be tortured by thoughts of Paulina and never knowing what happened to her and the girls.

The nightmares came often and everytime he was trying to save her and was too late. The chip on his shoulder grew, and surpassed anything he had ever had before.

Everyone that he cared about was gone except for Merle and although he knew he should be grateful for that, he wasn't. Nothing mattered anymore and sometimes, when he was alone at night cleaning his crossbow and knife he just wished for death so he could be with her.

/

Merle and Daryl had found the group camped by a quarry halfway to the cabin and they decided that safety in numbers was a much better way to go. The brothers kept to themselves and camped farther from the others, but they were part of the group.

It was a good thing too because these were a bunch of yuppies who had no idea how to live off the land. Not a one of them knew how to hunt or set a simple trap, they would starve if it wasn't for Daryl and Merle.

The leaders were both cops, Rick and Shane and although they thought they knew what they were doing, both Daryl and Merle knew they didn't. The world was filled with people like that now and that was one of the reasons it was so dangerous.

Everyone was an expert and everyone knew what the next best move was, it gave Daryl a headache everytime he had to listen to those two.

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The Range Rover ran out of gas and they were back on foot again, but Paulina had the foresight to get to the sporting goods store and arm herself. What was a three hour drive was so much longer on foot, it took days.

This time they were really close to the cabin having driven the backroads all the way there, but it was slow going and it seemed like it took a week to get where they needed to be.

When they were within a mile of the cabin they heard people, but not Daryl and Merle, she was sure of that. Daryl and Merle would move through the woods silently, she would never know they were there until they were there.

She dreamed about him every night now.

The kids wanted to yell to them, but Paulina insisted they hide. It did no good though, they had been made. On the other side of the woods, about five miles away Daryl was kicking the shit out of a dead one that ate a deer he had tracked and hunted for two days.

He had been within a mile and a half from her that morning tracking the deer, while she was tossing and turning with dreams of him, he had been so close.

"Come on out." The woman said, "We're friendly, I fuckin swear."

Paulina, and the kids stepped out of the brush and assessed the woman before them and then she saw a familiar face in the background that made her smile for the first time in six days, Serena. They embraced and the kids felt a surge of hope, soon they would find Daryl and Uncle Merle, they just knew it. They would all be together again soon.

They were days behind Daryl and Merle, they had already settled in the quarry on the other side of the mountain, never knowing Paulina was just a few miles away.

"I'm Miranda Jenkins, this is Jack Sparrow," She said as Paulina rolled her eyes, "No, really that's his name, you all know Serena I guess?" The woman continued, " Sam Washington and his wife Melody," They all put their weapons down but still kept a good grip on them, "Welcome to Nowhere."

Notes: Thank you for reading.


	15. Chapter 15 (21)

"This is some fucked up shit isn't it?" One of the men, Jack said as the group walked together, Paulina was staying with them, deciding too that there was safety in numbers. Serena being there helped a lot with the trust issues Paulina was quickly developing in this horrible new world.

Miranda and Jack were cousins who had both been working together at the national park nearby, they had met Sam and Melody along the way as they trekked towards Fort Benning and Serena had been out on the highway walking towards the cabin looking for Paulina and Daryl.

"We're trying to get to my husband's cabin..." Paulina finally said as they all walked in the woods together now, more secure and less anxious. Serena was her family, they were on their way to be reunited with Daryl and Merle, she just knew it.

From that point on they were together, Paulina and the girls were on the run alone and it was a relief to find Selena and these people. Miranda seemed to be in charge and Selena assured her friend that they were all good people.

She wasn't worried, she had been taught well.

Paulina was a scrapper thanks to Daryl, and now she hunted with a compound bow they found at a sporting goods store on their way there. She had stared at the crossbows for a long time that day, thinking of him and where he might be, then finally, picked one up for Katie but chose the compound bow for her and Jilly.

They had been running all night trying to get to the cabin but only succeeded in getting a few miles under their belt. But they were doing their best and thanks to Paulina's knife that Daryl insisted she keep on her at all times they were surviving. Being with others who were friendly and finding Serena was a relief, they had seen some bad shit in the six days they were out in the woods.

Being with people was much better than being alone, once they found Daryl and Merle everything would be ok again. All three of them wished for that day to come soon.

/

Jill and Katie wept openly to see the condition of the cabin but there was the bolt in the tree that they didn't notice right away. Their tears were heartbreaking and it was all Paulina could do to keep her shit together. They had all thought Daryl and Merle would have been there.

She struggled not to cry, to be strong for her kids but she was relieved not to see Daryl and Merle among the wandering souls that were in the woods. Paulina would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to him because he was looking for her and not being careful.

If he was there and left than it was for a good reason.

Miranda was convinced that this flu outbreak was some kind of military or government accident. Or a way to thin the herd as the saying went, they spent long nights debating that on watch at night now. Their new group had definite ideas about what exactly started this mess they were in now.

Miranda and Jack were big on conspiracy theories and this was a big one circulating for years that the government would find a way to impose anarchy and kill half the population.

Serena and Miranda came up behind her and each placed a hand on her shoulder as she stared at the cabin. By now Miranda had found out all about Paulina and Daryl's epic love story, it was so sad that they had gone through so much to be together only to be separated again by this new shit that was going down.

"Oh my God! He was here!" Katie exclaimed suddenly as she ran to the tree by the porch where the bolt stuck out like a beacon of hope.

"Are you sure he didn't do this the last time we were all here?"

Katie shook her head, "You know him, he never wastes bolts, this is a sign from him, that he's still alive."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Paulina said and for the first time in days, she had hope.

He was alive. There had to be some way to let him know they were alive too.

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"I don't even have a picture of her," Daryl thought to himself as he kicked the side of the deer, the scrapbook, their wedding album, and family pictures were all gone. The house he had built for them gone, everything they had gone through seemed like it was for nothing now. The group just stood there dumbfounded as he took his anger out on the deer and the dead one that ate it.

Daryl's anger scared most of them in the group, the ladies especially, Shane and Rick just avoided both Dixons but none of them had any trouble eating the food they both provided. They gratefully ate their food, but did they like them, not so much.

By the time they hooked up with the group at the quarry Daryl had stopped mentioning Paulina or the girls and as relieved Merle was that he wasn't putting himself in danger now to look for them, he also knew he was in deep pain. There was nothing Merle could do for him either, they were just gone.

The group didn't much like Daryl and Merle, and it was mutual, even if the two men were the ones who kept everyone fed. They camped far off from everyone and kept to themselves and that was fine with Rick and Shane.

"We're going to the CDC," Rick announced just as on the other side of the hills Miranda and Paulina were announcing to their group that they were thinking of going to Fort Benning. Miranda had asked Paulina her opinion on things now and it was a good thing, it gave Paulina something to think about besides how shitty her luck was.

"You really kicked the shit out of that dead one didn't ya brother," Merle said as they sat by their fire later that night.

"Felt good too..." Daryl huffed as he lit a cigarette, he was changing into someone even Merle didn't like too much. this new Daryl was like the old Daryl before she had come into his life. The anger brewed just under his brother's skin ready to explode at any time. Merle got it, he really did, but Daryl was becoming a loose cannon.

"I know you're struggling..."

"Just forget it, stop talking about her, she's just gone." He said as he took a deep inhale of his cigarette.

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Paulina's small group headed on foot away from the cabin and never saw the light from the quarry, they were just on the other side of the hills but fate had led them in a different direction. They went in the opposite direction because fate always had a way of coming between Daryl and Paulina.

Just by chance, Miranda thought Fort Benning was their best bet and somehow Paulina had hoped Daryl would think the same way and do the same. He was in the Army, wouldn't he think to go to Fort Benning too?

"Do you think he's still alive?"

"Yes, girls. I do, " She said as they walked, "He'll find us, but we can't sit around waiting. I have to keep you safe, above all else, that's what he'd want. "

"He'd want us to all be together," Katie answered as she stomped past her mother in a huff. Jilly looked up and took her mother's hand.

"She's just mad, she'll get over it, Mom." Jilly comforted her mother with a hand squeeze and Paulina nodded and tried to smile.

"I know,"

"She misses him, we never had a father before and…"

"I know honey," She squeezed Jilly's hand as they walked, on and on and farther and farther away from Daryl and Merle.

Post Chapter


	16. Chapter 16 (22)

The quarry survivors made it to the CDC after an attack on their camp that resulted in several deaths and had talked their way into the compound. it was a safe place and they all breathed a sigh of relief, even Daryl. The guy there, the last man standing at the CDC, Jenner seemed a bit off but they were all too grateful to be in a safe place to question it that night.

They would ask their questions in the morning.

That night at dinner the all drank for the first time in ages and Merle had to carry Daryl back to the room with Andrea. On the other side of the hallway, Shane and Lori were in a deep conversation about their future, while Rick got Carl to sleep.

There was something going on between the three of them but frankly, Daryl and Merle stayed out of the little dramas that played around them. Carol's abusive husband had been bitten in the attacks and she and her daughter were free of him, that was something they would have been interested in.

They both took a liking to the scared woman and her sweet daughter.

There was some kind of love triangle going on with the Grimes family and Andrea and Merle whispered about it as they laid a very drunk Daryl onto the couch in Merle's room. Then the two found themselves alone in a room and slightly tipsy themselves.

Andrea took a step towards him with a sweet smile on her lips, "Alone at last…"

Her meaning was clear as she smiled at Merle. he knew he could go back to her room with him if he wanted to and he did.

"I don't wanna fuck this up, you and I got something here." Merle said to her as they laid Daryl down on the couch to sleep it off, it had been nice to see his brother let loose for a change, he was almost calm for that one night, "And we've got all the time in the world."

"What if we don't?" She answered, "We don't know how much time we really have do we?"

"Then we still did the right thing...you've been drinking and I'm not that man anymore. "

"Is he gonna be ok?" She motioned to Daryl who was passed out, "Who's this Paulina he keeps mumbling about?"

"Keep this under your hat ok?"

"Of course," Andrea answered.

"She's his wife, we all got separated when the shit went down, he won't even say her name anymore."

"Unless he's wasted," Andrea observed.

"You're one smart cookie," Merle laughed.

"Do you think she's dead? Does he?"

"He won't say what he thinks, and I stopped asking a long time ago."

"Wouldn't it be great if she wasn't and they found each other?"

"Wouldn't be the first time. " Merle grinned, "But hey you can't let him know you know. It's been weeks and I know he's losing hope, but I can't lose him too."

"I understand," Andrea answered, she had almost lost her sister in the attack on the camp from the dead. It had been so close, everyone had to keep their loved ones close.

If they could.

/

Her parents were probably dead, Cindy was dead, everyone was, it was a sad world if you let it get to you. Somewhere Daryl was out there, she could feel it in her bones. Surely she would know if the love of her life no longer walked the earth.

He wasn't dead, he just wasn't!

*****He doesn't look a thing like Jesus but he talks like a gentleman like you remember when you were young******

As she sat by the fire just staring into the night remembering another fire so long ago that had started it all; she contemplated a life without him. Suicide had crossed her mind in her old life but now she had even more of a responsibility to her children. Even if she wanted to die, and maybe her life would be shorter now anyway, she couldn't. They needed her now more than ever.

It was her job to keep them safe and she intended to do just that.

"What about the CDC?" Selena had asked, but Miranda quickly shot her down as usual and later Selina confronted the other woman as they sat opposite Paulina at the fire. Their heads were close together and they whispered their conversation that was more like a fight.

"It's just not wise to head to the city, didn't you ever play resident evil?" Miranda snapped.

"You fight me on everything..." Serena hissed back.

Paulina stood up and they lifted their heads to her.

"I'm going to sleep, I'll relieve you at four ok?"

"Perfect," Miranda answered and they watched Paulina trudge away towards the tent they were all sharing.

"Answer my question now," Selena persisted, "Why do you fight me on everything?"

"Cause I like your fire," Miranda said with a wink and a smile and reached her hand out to Selena and they sat there in front of the fire holding hands that night, watching over everyone and wondering if this was a wise thing to do.

/

"We're going to Fort Benning," Paulina said as they packed up camp that next day, it would be a week-long walk to get there and the kids were already bitching. Paulina had to get the proper footwear and clothes for this treck or it would just be constantly whining about sore feet and sunburn.

She understood, she really did, but it was what it was.

They stopped in the next town they came across, which just happened to have a Bass pro shop and outfitted everyone in their small group with proper clothing. The all washed up in the bathrooms there too, it was good to change clothes and feel somewhat clean.

The kids carried knives and guns now, everyone did. Each of the kids had a knife now too in addition to bows, this was the world they lived in now. All of them had weapons stashed all over their bodies and in their backpacks.

"Where is he Mom?" Katie asked.

"I don't know sweetie, but we have to keep moving…and I have an errand to run along the way."

'I know," Katie answered, and she didn't want to ask the next question but she did, "Do you think they got sick, and they're like that now, don't you?"

"Shhhh, I don't want Jilly to hear…"

Katie nodded, at just eleven years old she was becoming more worldly than any little girl should be. The world was never going to be the same again for these kids or any others that came into this going forward.

In a few weeks somewhere on the other side of the county a little boy would be shot and carried by his father to the only man around with any medical knowledge, and a little girl got lost. All around the state little dramas were playing out in different ways, and people were surviving the only way they knew how to.

A small group of ramshackle outsiders arrived in a town that had been so well preserved they swore they were living in before the flu times. Together with a few men who had taken charge they started to rebuild life the way it used to be.

Life was going on.

/

Along the way to Fort Benning, they stopped at her parents' house and Paulina insisted on going inside by herself. She came out crying in just five minutes as she had found her parents both locked in their bedroom, wandering with that blank stare that they were all getting too used to seeing on the faces of the dead.

She put them out of their misery and added to her own. Both girls jumped into her arms and they all cried for a long time that day outside the little blue house Paulina had grown up in. She had just seen her parents a few weeks before, had just spoken to them on the phone the day before everything went down.

That night by the fire Jack sat down next to her. Over the weeks that they had been in a group together Paulina had noticed and ignored the obvious attraction he had for her.

"I'm sorry about your folks Paulina…"

Jack placed his hand over hers on the log they sat on, at first she thought he was trying to offer her comfort but no. He squeezed her hand and tried to run his fingers over hers, Paulina pulled her hand away.

"Jack, I'm sorry if I mislead you in any way, I'm in love with my husband."

"Your husband is probably dead," He answered, "I'm sorry to say it…"

" It doesn't matter, either way, I'm still in love with him." She said as she got up and walked away from him leaving him stunned that she didn't jump at the chance to be with him.

/

They found Fort Benning abandoned and it was more terrifying than they could ever imagine. Something had come through and obliterated everything. Once again Sam suggested the CDC to which Jack Sparrow got shitty about, as usual, "We gotta stay the hell away from Atlanta. Don't you remember they bombed the shit out of it?"

He paced back and forth as Paulina spray painted Mrs. Dixon on the side of the building in front of the military base. Miranda and Selena just watched, she had done it in front of her parent's house too, only she carved it into a tree. She had done it at the cabin too, on the porch with a knife.

"What are you doing?"

"Letting him know I'm still here." She continued to paint the road on the verge of tears now, "He'd come here and I want him to know I'm still here, I'm still fighting and trying to find him!."

"What the fuck for Paulina, he's dead and so are we."

"You take that back Jack," She ran over to him with her fists out and Selena stepped in between them.

"Stop, this isn't doing any good, you let her have her hope, Jack!"

"She's a fucking fool!" He hollered and then turned to see Paulina's two girls standing there, both of them made eye contact with him and he slunk away, embarrassed that he had lost his temper.

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Daryl walked past the building and couldn't believe his eyes, it had happened again, and now he knew it wasn't a coincidence. There was another spray painted sign that said Mrs. Dixon just like all the others; he closed his eyes and wished it to be true. Was she leaving this as a note to him? To let him know she was looking for him? Was it even her?

It had to be her, and it gave him hope for the first time in a long time.


	17. Chapter 17

His heart beat out of his chest. It was her, he just knew it. If she were dead he would know somehow, wouldn't he? He would feel it, in his gut or in his heart. Surely if she didn't walk this earth any longer he would know. Daryl pulled in a deep breath and lit a cigarette as he assessed the facts as he knew them. The paint was dry, cracked, the sign had been written some time ago, if it was Paulina, she could be anywhere now. But that didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was, she was out there somewhere trying to find him, just as he was trying to find her.

That was enough, he wanted to be with her again, but just knowing she was alive was enough. Daryl had learned long ago not to be greedy, life was going to give you what it was going to give you, no more and no less.

In this world, he was learning to be damn grateful for what little he had. She was alive as of when she wrote this message and hope was a good thing according to Stephen King and it was enough for Daryl Dixon too.

It had been a while since he and Merle got into it over his attitude and he truly was trying to get along with the others they were with. Lately, he had been keeping so busy becoming an effective member of the group he almost forgot to obsess over her fate.

It wasn't often but he had seen these wonderful graffiti messages around from time to time. It had been a while since the last one, but he still held out hope. He kept it deep down inside where no one could see it, that way it didn't hurt quite so much.

While their group approached the Green farm with trepidation after being on the road for weeks Paulina's group had found walls. Daryl shot a bolt into the side of the building where she had written her message in case she came back. She would know it was him, and that he had seen it.

Paulins, the kids and their group happened upon a town that looked safe, although she was skeptical as was Miranda, for her kids she agreed to give it a try. The man in charge welcomed them, showed them around with pride at what he had accomplished and in private Paulina and Serena agreed he was a smug son of a bitch.

It was a good place to rest at least, that's what they told each other. They were given two apartments on opposite sides of the town and that made Paulina wonder why this man wanted her group separated from each other. A hot shower was a wonderful thing though, if they decided this wasn't for them, they could just leave.

/

They even had ice cubes and the girls were thrilled to drink cold soda for the first time since all this shit went down. For a few moments at least they could be like other kids and play outside with the kids that were in Woodbury. There were a lot of kids there too, surprisingly, it was good for the girls to relax and be kids again for a while.

Something told her this wouldn't last but for now, Paulina was going to let them enjoy running around and roller skating on the sidewalks. It made her smile to see them be kids again, and she saw the appeal of this town called Woodbury, even if it all made her nervous as a cat.

The three women sat on the stoop of the house that Miranda and Serena were sharing, clear across the town from Paulina and the kids. It was the first time they had a chance to talk over anything since they had gotten there a few days ago.

Jack, Melody and, Sam were next door to Paulina and the kids, but he had separated Miranda and Serena from them. As if he could tell Miranda and Paulina made most of the decisions in their group.

"What do you make of all this?" Serena asked as they finally had a few minutes to talk together since they arrived. Both Miranda and Paulina shrugged.

"Seems too good to be true, ya know?" Serena said and Paulina nodded, they were always on the same page about things, ever since they were kids.

"That's what I was thinking too, I'm a little creeped out…" Miranda answered.

"What did that guy Milton say to you…" Serena asked as she took a sip of freshly made lemonade. Fresh fucking, cold lemonade in the apocalypse.

"Oh, he had heard I was a nurse and wanted to talk about a few medical things, I told him I'd see him tomorrow," Paulina answered.

"Well keep your eyes and ears open ok?"

"Of course," She answered with a shiver, "This place still gives me the creeps."

"it's like nothing happened, and they're all pretending that out there doesn't exist."

"It happened…" Miranda replied, "Denial isn't a river in Egypt."

"Agreed, but these people seem to want to stick their heads in the sand, it's a recipe for disaster."

"Yeah and I don't want to be here when it all goes to shit," Miranda answered.

/

Neither of them spoke but it was understood that this was bad, Rick had fucked this up and of course, both of them would search for that lost girl. Merle could not stand hearing Carol crying for one more second, she had come to be a good friend to Merle and Daryl.

Shane wanted nothing to do with the search and told them as much, it was cold, yet there were those that agreed with him and those that didn't.

Neither Merle or Daryl agreed with Shane and made a point of letting him know.

The little girl, Sophia had been through what they had gone through as children, and they had been drawn to her and Carol from the jump. The three of them recognized some kind of kinship between them. Daryl questioned his brother's motives though as if they were doing it for all the wrong reasons.

"You think if you find this little girl, maybe it will redeem you somehow is that it brother?" Daryl snapped, as they walked through the forest, "Make it all better with these people."

"You've been doing so good lately, why you gotta be this way now," Merle said as they stopped in the woods for a smoke.

"Saw another sign, out by the old railroad tracks," Daryl answered as they walked into the woods calling her name. They hoped the little girl would answer even though she didn't know them all that well. It seemed like they had been looking for days, but it had only been a few hours.

"You think it's her?"

"It fucks with my head…" Daryl said with a shrug, "I don't want false hope…"

"I dunno, it's kind of clever, I think that's something Paulina would do," Merle answered.

"Stop saying her name!" Daryl snapped back and then immediately regretted it..

"Will you make up your mind, are we acting like she's leavin you love notes all over the apocalypse or that she doesn't exist now or what?."

"Sorry I fuckin told you, I'm all fucked up over it," Daryl reached up and swiped his hair off his forehead, "Let's just do this already."

"Why don't you get your head out of your ass so we can bring this little girl back to her Mamma?"

"Why don't you!" Daryl raged back, "What's it gonna do anyway, what if she's dead too!"

"I don't know Daryl, I ain't got all the answers. I just know this poor woman is suffering. And Paulina isn't dead, you hear me! Neither is this little girl!" Mere yelled back at him.

Then Andrea was next to them as if she materialized out of thin air, "Can I come along too?"

"Sure," Merle smiled then and put his arm around her, "Sure sugar," Merle answered and Daryl noticed a slight smile cross his brother's lips and the woman's too. Good for him, one of them deserved to be happy and he knew he'd never be happy again.

"Who's Paulina?"

"Nobody, let's just find this kid ok?" Daryl barked in what was becoming his own type of bad attitude once again and stomped off into the dark woods. Merle watched as day by day he regressed into anger and self-pity deeper and he was powerless to help him. Andrea knew who Paulina was from the CDC and it was her hope to one day get Daryl to talk about her. She felt like it might help him.

Today was not that day though. It was one step forward and two steps back for him, and Merle wondered if Paulina's notes if they even were hers were doing more harm than good.

Merle and Andrea followed after him, all three of them determined to bring the child home to her mother. For Daryl, it was something to do, so that he didn't have to focus on himself and his problems. For Merle it was something more, he had not acted right when they were first with the group, but that was all over now.

"Hey, brother remember that time you were lost in the woods for nine days?" Merle called to him with a smile for Andrea.

Daryl stopped and Merle could see his shoulders shake with laughter. Finally a little levity in this shitty place they were in.

"Ya got poison Ivy on your pecker remember?" Merle cackled after him.

The foul mood was broken for now and Merle took Andrea's hand as they trudged on through the darkness looking for a little girl who was sure to be terrified out here all alone..


	18. Chapter 18

So I planned on this being a lot longer and involved but I didn't want to keep them separated forever. So I combined seasons two, three four and part of five. You'll recognize the scenes I picked. Also, I promise when they are reunited it is going to be epic! Hang in with me.

This is long cause we had a lot of time to cover. Reunion coming soon. I think in the next chapter. I wrote some things from Paulina's separated for seasons three and four. To show that they were always so close to each other, yet not able to connect. I believe this chapter covers seasons two, three, four and five.

They found an old house not too far from the road and the three of them prayed they would find Sophia alive in the farmhouse. If the child was indeed ok, this would lift the spirits of everyone and they all needed it. This was a cold cruel world now and danger was everywhere, especially for kids.

But It was just as likely they would find this child turned into something undead. That was the unsaid thought between all of them. Not one of them dared to even say it. All they focused on was reuniting the child with her mother.

The three of them stood in front of the dark house and contemplated their situation. Andrea took a deep breath and Merle took her hand.

"Let's do this…" Merle sighed.

They opened the door and shined a flashlight into the shadows of the house, and walked inside with trepidation. There was nothing in the front room, but in the corner of the kitchen, they saw movement, much too little to be one of the dead ones. They hoped anyway. As Merle approached a door on the other side of the kitchen he sad a silent prayer and when he opened it fully his face broke out in a huge smile.

Behind him, Daryl and Andrea both breathed out a sigh of relief at the little girl in her blue t-shirt and beige pants. The brothers had never been so happy to see a child before in their lives.

"Come on out little miss, we've been looking for you."

Sophia came out of the cupboard and hugged all three of them.

"Here, let's check you for…"

"I'm not bit," She answered as she lifted her shirt and showed them her arms and legs, then she hugged Daryl again, "Thank you, thank you for finding me."

/

There was nothing like walking back into their makeshift camp at the Greene farm as the sun was coming up with a child who was safe. They were all still on pins and needles about Carl who was recovering from being shot.

From the campsite Amy turned towards her sister and grinned; Carol had been washing clothes and hanging them up in an effort to keep busy when Sophia called to her.

"Mamma!" Carol turned at the sound of her voice and then she was running to her child and hugging her as everyone watched.

Then she turned and hugged, Merle, Daryl, and Andrea, "Thank you so much. All of you, I'll never, ever forget this, thank you." She said as she started to cry.

/

"I can't stay here Milton, I have to find my husband."

"Do you think he survived?"

"If anyone did he did. "

"Then I'm happy for you my friend. I hope you do find him." Then he turned back, "In case he ever shows up here. What's his name?"

"Daryl Dixon," She answered.

"I'll keep an eye out for him," Milton said, he was going to miss Paulina, it was nice to have someone to talk to about medical things and his experiments. She didn't approve of his methods, but they had an easy friendship. Which was why they were leaving now, Milton had overheard their leader planning something nefarious for the group she was with and they had to go.

"Thanks," Paulina said as they went over the wall, "Now go, Milton," She called up to him, "Go before he finds out you helped us, he won't like it."

"Guess we're walking again," "Katie snarked as they made their way away from the town called Woodbury and it's psychopath leader.

"Until we get far away from people like Philip. Yes, we are walking."

"I think there are people like him all over the place... now."

"I think you're right ."

/

Of course, he wouldn't leave them to be free and the man they called the Governor sent three men after the small group, for reasons known only to him.

"Who taught you that Mom?" Katies exclaimed as her mother punched the last of them in the face and knocked him out. For a group of mostly girls and just a few men, they had fought the three trackers off with ease.

"Daryl, when we were kids." She said as she shook out her hand, "He insisted on teaching me to hunt, how to fish and how to fight."

*********Someday I might not be there to protect you…*******

********Don't be silly, we're always going to be together…*****

After the men were dispatched with the group ran deep into the woods where they were always the safest, fewer walkers and fewer people.

Milton would never know that Paulina's husband would cross his path on more than one occasion. The man he spoke to, the one who called him "the butler" and called Martinez a "douchebag" was indeed Daryl. But they had never bothered to exchange pleasantries and Milton hadn't thought to ask his name.

/

"We're going to walk to Washington DC?" Katie bellowed as they walked to the strip mall to get more supplies for the road, all of them carried backpacks, "I'm so sick of walking..."

"Suck it up buttercup, this is what we're doing..." Jilly laughed as Katie swatted at her, "Mom and Miranda got this all figured out."

"We shouldn't leave Georgia,"

"Honey, it's been a long time..." Paulina started to say, but Katie cut her off.

"He wouldn't leave, he'd keep looking for us."

"Katie," She knelt down to be eye to eye with her daughter, "I know you feel like I'm giving up, but I'm not. Daryl and I always find each other, keeping you and your sister safe from all the crazy people out there is my priority and that's what he would want me to do. We have to get away from here, this is how I keep you safe."

"Aunt Selena thinks Daryl is still alive too!"

"We need to go to Washington DC," This was met by groans of despair by both girls, "Hear me out."

"No, Daryl was in the army, he'd go this way too..." Katie stated.

"Are we really walking?" Jill asked now that she was done teasing her sister, the reality set in for her.

"Grab that crossbow and let's go," She said as they left the sporting goods store.

/

"Karen it's not gonna happen, you might as well get it through your head now." Daryl huffed as he loaded the car he, Merle and Tyrese were taking on the run. The woman had been throwing herself at him since they took in the Woodbury residents after the town fell to the dead. Paulina had been there once, but briefly, she and Karen had never crossed paths and no one knew she and Daryl were married.

"Rude," She answered as she walked by him and Merle couldn't help but laugh. Carol grinned from where she and Andrea stood, it was on the tip of Andrea's tongue to tell Carol about Paulina but if Daryl hadn't told her of all people himself, Andrea knew it wasn't her place.

This day sucked already, and it wasn't even noon yet. Merle sat outside the prison and lit a cigarette while he waited on Daryl to go on the run with him and contemplated their situation at the moment. The fences were holding, for now, and Rick was finally back from crazy town, but Merle had a feeling this was the calm before the storm.

Life had taught him not to trust clear blue sky and quiet days because something always came along and fucked it up. They had taken in the people from Woodbury, had enough supplies usually and the Governor was nowhere to be seen; he was in the wind.

Merle knew enough not to trust that, but for today he guessed he'd just go with the flow. Still, he had an uneasy feeling all morning that something was going to happen, and he couldn't shake it.

He watched as Maggie and Glenn came out of the far door of the prison and she fussed about him, putting things in his backpack and fixing the collar of his vest. They were not officially married, but they wore rings that just appeared on their fingers one day and Merle was glad his friend had someone. Daryl whistled and waved to signal to Merle he was almost ready to go, wiped his face on the red rag and shoved it back in his pocket.

Then Andrea was by his side with a packed lunch.

"What's this?" Merle asked, and she smiled at him.

"Some food for the road."

"Thanks, Darlin, We'll be back soon with those meds."

/

The smoke billowed through the woods as Paulina and the kids made their way the thirty miles from Woodbury to the prison which was now in flames and taken over by the dead. They had been walking for weeks while things were going down between the prison and Woodbury. They stayed in the woods, far away from any roads where they could be spotted, the woods was a blessing and a curse. Daryl and Merle had traveled the roads with Rick for meetings with the Governor, they would have seen them if they had been on the roads.

"This is why we stay to the woods girls, look at that shit," Jack Sparrow answered.

"People did that?"

"Sure, they did, that's fresh smoke, keep moving, we don't want any part of this," Melody answered, she had become so hardened since the beginning of this mess. Gone was the sweet girl she once was. They were all changed now by the things they saw and the things they had to do. It was all just a constant battle to stay alive.

"What do you think happened?"

"Someone forgot that it's not man against man anymore, it's just us against the dead now," Miranda said as they walked over the path with a view of the burning prison and back into the woods.

/

"Should we follow those signs, to this Terminus?" Katie asked.

"No Katie, something about that name just irks me," Paulina explained, "We're going the opposite way…"

"There's no safe place for anyone anymore," Jilly said as she took her mother's hand.

"Well, we aren't going to stop looking."

"There's a fire…Did someone burn down a house? Wasted shelter?"

"Or lightning?"

"No that was set, smell the alcohol?"

"Yeah, I do…what a dick move." Katie exclaimed as they continued walking.

/

"Who the fuck is blowing shit up?" Jack said as the ground shook beneath them, "Will you fucking look at that?"

They all stopped in the woods and watched as an explosion happened miles behind them. Terminus was up in flames at the hands of one small but powerful woman.

/

"Mom look," Katie pointed to the bolt in the tree and Paulina knew what she was thinking.

"I ..."

"I don't care, every time I see a bolt, I'm going to assume it's Daryl and he's looking for us," Katie answered as she carved her name into the tree, how many trees had she done that; Katie Dixon was what she always wrote, then with an attitude she walked on through the woods.

/

Daryl lit a cigarette and joined Merle and Rick outside on the porch of the church.

"You really believe they got a cure in Washington DC?"

"Yeah, we need to find civilization, some kind of bigger group."

Daryl glanced over at Merle, it was in his eyes that he didn't want to go, but also, he would do what was best for the group.

"Alright...we got more people with us now, I guess that's a good thing." Daryl sighed and Merle sighed too, he hadn't mentioned Paulina in a long, long time. Merle didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that.


	19. Chapter 19

Another time jump, please forgive me, I just can't keep them apart anymore. I planned to go all through the seasons but now I just want them together. This ended up shorter than I intended but I am happy with it.

 **/**

"Paulina and Selena," The man walked around their group with a cocky strut while swinging his bat around like a phallic symbol, he and his group had been coming to the Hilltop for months now and extorting goods and supplies, but no one told the new arrivals, "You know something? I like it." He leaned in closer to the two women he found most attractive, "Which one of you is gonna be my new bride?"

The five of them stood there dumbfounded and Paulina gripped her daughter's hands. The rest of the Hilltop community was at attention, even Jesus and that scared Selena most of all. Since he had brought them to the community, he had been a badass, but this dick he listened to. There had to be a reason.

"Me," Selena piped up before Paulina could answer. But she shot her a dirty look when she answered just the same, what was she thinking. Selena was volunteering for certain death by the looks of this band of merry jackasses. This head of the jackasses had just explained how then men in their group would now be under his control and the women would be his concubines if he so desired them and Gregory was just letting it happen the fucking coward.

"Are you sisters, cause I am really digging the idea of sisters," He smiled the Devil's grin that made Selena's skin crawl, but she had to do this.

"She has kids..." Selena continued, "I don't, they need her. Please, take me...'

"Plague get your daddy little miss?" He bent down to Jilly who met his eyes like a big girl.

"My daddy is alive somewhere, he is, and he shoots a crossbow…" Negan's ears perked up at that news. Dwight sure as hell didn't father any rugrats when he had Dixon's crossbow, but could it be? "His name is Daryl Dixon," The child continued, and Negan stood up fast at that news.

"Don't know him, little miss. He's probably dead." He turned back to the women, "And I'll be having you both I do believe, because why not. I do what I want. You first Miss Selena and I'll be back for you soon enough," He said to Paulina with a grin that she had no idea where it came from.

In his mind, Negan had a lot to smile about. He was going to fuck Daryl Dixon 's wife and maybe even tell him about it before he killed them both. He couldn't wait to get back to Alexandria and look that man in the face after all the trouble he and his friends had caused him. He'd bring him the wedding ring on her finger as proof, or her body.

Then he noticed Selina's eyes move over to Miranda who was on the other side of Sam who lay motionless on the ground because he had just killed him with his bat. Melody had thrown herself over his body and was still sobbing.

"What's this, she your girl," He said to Selena and she raised her chin in defiance.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," He swung the bat and it connected with Miranda's head, leaving a trail of blood and bone along the way.

"Nooooooooo," Selena cried out.

"Relax sweetheart, I got plans for you." Negan laughed, "Now come on with me, girl." He pulled her by the arm, not even letting her mourn and dragged her to the car that was waiting just outside the gates. No one could do a thing as he took Serena away and promised to be back soon for Paulina.

"I'll be back for you doll," He winked as he leaned out the window of the truck and left.

333333333333333333333333

"Your world is about to get a whole lot bigger," The dude named Jesus said as they all walked together to his home at The Hilltop. Daryl and the group had made the journey to the Hilltop at his request after he and Rick had found Jesus out on a run they were making. They had been in Alexandria just a few weeks, Paulina was at the Hilltop where they had settled a few months before. Some shit went down in Alexandria with Deena and Rick wanted to give her time to cool off before they went back.

Another new place to look for her...

Daryl looked for her everywhere they went, every new place, his eyes searched for her and this place would be the same. Daryl kept it to himself now, it had been so long and wouldn't even discuss her with Merle anymore, she was just gone.

They had left Georgia and he had been convinced he'd never see her again. At the time there was no way for him to know that she had left before he did. Their notes and signs to each other could never give location because of all the crazy people out there now.

It didn't matter anyway, a crazy person had found her anyway, there was no hiding from Negan. It was a matter of time before he came back and separated her from her children. She would kill him then, she had already decided how to do it.

As they walked through the gate, war-torn and exhausted he saw a woman in the distance and her back was to him but just as she had known him from his stance all those years ago in the 711, he knew her.

For the first time since this god awful thing happened Daryl felt a surge of hope, Merle saw him gasp in a breath and turned towards what he was looking at. It was her? Could it be?

Daryl moved from foot to foot, not sure what to do, maybe he was just seeing things. She carried a basket of vegetables and stopped by the steps of one of the houses and sat the basket down for a minute on the steps. He watched as she ran her hand through her hair to get it out of her face as Paulina always did.

Then they saw her face.

Merle saw her too and breathed a sigh of relief, finally they had found her.

"Paulina, oh god, oh my god, Paulina," He cried out, "Lina!" And then he was running to her fast and hard; Rick, Tara, and Merle watched and Rick put his hand up to his eyes. They had never seen him act this way before. Michonne and the rest of the group followed behind them and watched the scene unfold before their eyes.

Halfway to her, he dropped his crossbow.

"What the..." Rick whispered.

"That's his wife," Merle answered as if it was nothing.

"Wife?" Tara and Rick both said in unison with disbelief. Rick could not believe that after all they had gone through that Daryl had kept this a secret.

"He's married?" Michonne said in disbelief.

"You never wondered why he was such an asshole all the time before he got with the program?" Merle asked with a smile on his face, "He was missing his woman and their kids."

"Kids?" Michonne marveled.

"We all just thought he was a dick," Tara laughed as they watched from a distance as Daryl and the woman with the long reddish-brown hair were hugging and kissing, "Why didn't he ever tell us?"

"You know him, he doesn't tell anyone anything. That's Paulina, the love of his life." Merle said, "They always end up separated and they always find each other again."

He placed his arm around Andrea as they both watched this wonderful scene, so long in coming unfold.

Paulina and Daryl were kissing and hugging and touching each other as if they didn't believe the other was really there. She ran her hands over his face, making sure he was real. This couldn't be some cruel joke, not after all they had been through.

"Oh, baby you're really here," She said as he pressed his forehead to hers and ran his hands over her face, wiping her tears and his own.

"I'll always find you, always." He answered and pulled her close to him, "Where are the girls?" He asked hopefully, he didn't see them in the area and was suddenly scared again.

"They're here, over at the school, oh my God Daryl they're going to go crazy when they see you." Then she finally realized Merle was standing thirty feet away.

"Hey, Sis, where ya been all this time." Merle hollered with a grin on his face.

Then she was running to him and she hit him the same way she hit Daryl, with her entire body, "Those baby girls with you hun?"

Paulina nodded still crying happy tears, "Yes and they are going to be so glad to see you, Merle."

3333333333333333333333333333333333

Dinner that night was like Thanksgiving, Christmas and their Birthdays all rolled into one. Rick and company were still amazed at the change that had come over Daryl suddenly. He was a different man now, gone was the brooding and the one-word answers they had been used to since the beginning and after the prison fell and they had lost Beth, Glenn, and Maggie. At the prison, he had become a team player and came out of his shell, but then they lost so many other people. Now, all that darkness and brooding was, replaced with conversation and laughter.

They built a fire that night and all sat around it, she was never far from him, and most of the time he kept her close sitting between his legs, so he could touch her. Every once in a while they would just stare at each other, he was a changed man in just one moment.

"He loves her," Tara whispered to Michonne as they both watched them from across the fire, "This explains so much."

From nowhere, Katie appeared and sat between their new friends, "They were always like that, always touching each other and kissing."

"This is not the Daryl we know..." The two older women looked at him smiling and whispering things in Paulina's ear. They were joined by Carol, Sophia, and Carl who were holding hands and trying to hide it from everyone.

"He's the best father ever, I knew he would find us."

"He was always good to me," Carl replied, "I can see it now, why he was the way he was sometimes."

"Tomorrow we can show you guys around," Katie said to the two new kids, "You're gonna like it here."

3333333333333333333333333333

They spent weeks together not wanting to be away from each other, but eventually, Daryl, Merle, and Rick had to go on a run. Supplies were low and Negan would be coming for his cut. Paulina had told Daryl what Negan intended for her, as expected he was now planning the demise of this monster once and for all.

Enough was fucking enough if Deana wanted to kowtow to this asshole she could, but they weren't doing it, fuck no. Daryl, Merle, and Rick were going to handle what Deena had refused to let them handle and if Gregory didn't like it he could go to Alexandria.

But he kissed her goodbye and winked as he left, telling her he'd be back soon and try to bring a present for her. There was something, in particular, he was looking for, a piece of their past.

She had told him about having to put down her parents and fight off a multitude of post-apocalyptic assholes along the way to Hilltop where they finally settled. But Daryl wanted to give her back something she had lost that was so important to her.

The original sat in their old house miles and miles away.

/

The only present she wanted was for him to come back safely to her and he did, time and time again. One day while she was working in the gardens with Andrea he brought her inside the little house they were staying in with her eyes closed.

"Gotta borrow her for a minute, Andrea."

"No worries, " Andrea had replied

"Ok, you can open them now," He whispered into her ear when they were inside their house.

Paulina brought her hand up to her mouth and her eyes grew soft. "Oh my god..." And the tears started. He hated when she cried, he always had, even if they were happy tears.

Paulina was a strong woman and he knew she didn't cry easily. But this broke her, he had found her another cedar chest somewhere on a run.

He wanted to take her into his arms and make the tears and the years apart go away, but he couldn't, but this small gesture that meant so much to both of them was a start. He wanted to make everything all better for them.

"Daryl I thought you were dead sometimes, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Forget it, ya here now." He said. "Whatever happened, happened, but we're still here."

Daryl closed the distance between them, and she backed up into the opposite wall. He was all in her space and making her heart pound like he always did. He looked her dead in the eye and his eyes were so beautiful to her still. She had struggled to forget those eyes, for such a long time, it hurt too much to think he was dead.

She had dreams about him sometimes, his eyes and everything else about him, she looked for those eyes in every man that came through the doors of The Hilltop.

Now she couldn't look away from them, or from him. He was all she could think of now, all she wanted for the rest of her days.

He hugged her tight and dried her tears then he brought his face closer to hers and kissed her. The kiss was soft at first but then he felt her respond and that was all the encouragement he needed. He pushed her lips apart with his and gave her the dirtiest kiss that she had ever had. Paulina kissed him back and knew she would never kiss anyone else ever again and they would be together the rest of their days.

Then their hands were all over each other in a frenzy and he was pushing her towards the bedroom. She went willingly, bringing her hands up to his hair and holding on for dear life. He kissed her like she was the last drink of water on a 100-degree day and he was dying of thirst.

Daryl had been dying for a long time; he was starved for her. And she for him, even though she had tried to deny it and make a life with her girls without him.

They made it through the door, and he slammed it, pressing her against it hard. This was going down and he didn't give fuck all if Rick or Merle walked in right now.

"Daryl, we can't do this now, here!" She breathed out in between kisses, but he kept kissing her, plundering her mouth with his tongue. He wasn't taking no for an answer, but he wasn't taking her unless she said yes, "I have to cook dinner for..."

"Yes, we can." He whispered into her ear. "We're married."

That made her giggle against his cheek and he kissed her again with even more determination and more tongue.

"It's the middle of the afternoon."

His kisses lit a fire deep inside of her that she thought was snuffed out forever. It was ignited and burning out of control as his hands roamed over her body. She was his and she always had been.

"Just say yes baby." He said against the skin of her neck and she nodded in surrender.

Then his lips traveled down her neck and she was unbuckling his pants before she knew what she was doing, in a total fever of need that she never had with anyone else. He wrapped his arms around her thighs and picked her up, holding her against the wall. He pulled his shirt over his head, so he could get closer still to her, skin to skin, he needed it like air.

Her nails raked down his back as her hands traveled over his hard body and she was finally home, where she belonged.

Paulina was dizzy with feeling and emotion as she felt him hiking her skirt up and pulling her panties off and then he was inside her. There was no going back and they both let out a moan of total bliss. He could feel her boots against his ass and his jeans weren't even halfway down his legs. This was going to be quick, but worth the teasing they were gonna get if anyone heard them.

"Oh God sweetheart, I missed you so much." He moaned against her neck, and she felt his teeth as he bit her flesh softly and she arched into him more.

"Mmmmmmmmmm." Was all she could manage as she felt his hips rolling against hers in that rhythm that was always theirs. He plunged his hands into her hair and breathed in her scent, that was so familiar and welcome to him. "I fucking love you." She breathed out.

"I knew it." He said pulling her legs up more and pushing her against the wall. "I knew it, I knew you were alive, I just knew."

"Me too baby, me too," She groaned, "I knew you'd find me."

She wrapped her legs around him tighter and he let out a groan as he kissed her again, then his lips were on her neck and sucking hard.

"Say your mine, mine forever."

"I'm yours." She breathed out as he pushed against her faster, rocking the door against the hinges. "Forever."

"Say you love me again." The sound of the door banging on the hinges sounded like the house was going to fall down around them and they didn't notice it at all, both so lost to each other.

"I love you."

"Only me." He gasped out, pulling her hips against his as she yanked his hair and scratched her nails over his skin making him moan out loud.

"Only you." She said trying to wiggle against him, chasing the fire that was consuming her right down to her soul. "Only you."

"Tell me there hasn't been anyone else." He didn't even care if it wasn't true, he just needed her to say it. They would figure it all out later.

"No one, only you, baby." She gasped," I could never be with anyone but you."

He kissed her hard, reclaiming her and he wasn't done yet. He reached over to her work shirt and ripped it open and slid his hand into her bra making her body light up even more than it was already.

"Tell me again." He pulled her close against him, skin to skin, finally.

"Never anyone else but you." And that was the truth. "Only you make me feel this way, it's always been you."

Between the magic he was working with his hand, the feel of his skin on hers and the rest of him, she felt the pressure starting to build fast and he knew it was coming. He knew her, and he knew how she worked like no one else did.

"Now cum." He demanded. "Cum all over my dick Paulina."

Daryl set out to push all her buttons and his words drove her body towards what he wanted, and she felt it. She felt it deep in her core and in her soul, he was bringing her where she wanted to be. His hand moved over her nipple like he had been doing it forever and then he followed that with his lips all the while still pounding her against the door.

The total mind-numbing, screaming, yelling, cursing passion that spread like a wildfire between them and would never be put out again.

"Do it, fucking do it."

"Fuck, Daryl." She moaned as her head banged against the door lightly and her eyes rolled back in her head from his words and body, his lips and hands on her. "Fuck me, ohmygod yes."

Then it was happening, and she couldn't stop it. It was like the tidal wave that was their life together before it all went wrong, and she cried out and pulled him close against her. He slammed against her as her body pulled him over the edge right after her.

"Goddammit." He swore as he came harder than he had in years. "Goddammit, fuck, fuck, mother fucking ahhhhhh."

The stayed that way for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath, holding each other and then he let her down and held her. She lay her head on his shoulder and pulled him against her. They both half expected Merle and Rick to come banging on the door, there was no way they didn't hear, the window in the bedroom had been open and the Hilltop was like an echo chamber.

"I didn't say anything to you just now that wasn't true." She said, and he hugged her tighter.

"I know." He said. "But I needed to hear it."

"People said I should move on and that you were probably dead, but I knew you were alive," She held him close, "I felt you, I knew you were looking for me."

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Early the next morning while they slept in each other's arms after having quieter sex before bed a car pulled up to the gates and a man got out. He stomped the dust off his cowboy boots and ran the bat along the walls of the compound.

"Alright Paulina, come out, come out wherever you are," Negan bellowed at the gate, "Times up doll."

One more chapter :)

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think XX.


	20. Last Chapter

Chapter 20: Last Chapter

Summary: So Sorry this took so long. I wanted a resolution I could live with and some smut. :)

 **Chapter Text**

The yelling had finally gotten everyone out of their houses and into the street. Negan was well known at the Hilltop, just as Daryl had known him from Alexandria. It figured that just when they had found each other and were trying to get to know each other again that he would show up.

He intended to take Paulina as his bride, but what he didn't know was that her man was back and Daryl would never allow it. Furthermore, Daryl had been counting on some morning sex and this asshole just fucked that all up.

"What the fuck does that douchebag want?" Daryl said as he and Paulina walked towards the gate while Negan bellowed outside.

"You know him?" She asked as she looked over at him suddenly becoming dizzy with swirling random thoughts. *******The flu get your daddy little miss?****** Rang through her ears...

"Unfortunately…"

Paulina stopped dead in her tracks as a realization came over her. Negan knew Daryl, and three months ago when he had them in his death circle and killed Miranda he had not told her Daryl was alive.

"What's wrong?"

Then she was running to the gate, past Daryl, and past everyone, "Negan YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" She yelled as she plowed through the gates and into the broad chest of the man with the bat.

"Enthusiasm...Oh, that's what I like baby…" He started to say and then she slapped him hard. Negan was taken by surprise by that and then he saw Daryl chasing after her.

"You knew he was alive," She pummeled him and Negan was so shocked he couldn't move, "You knew and you didn't tell me!"

"Take it, easy sweetheart," He backed up and smiled in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Paulina was pissed and Daryl looked like he was ready to tear him apart, "I didn't make the connection till later, and then, well, you know." He gave her a smile, Negan was a good looking man, but Paulina hated him and would always hold a grudge about Miranda, as did everyone who was there that day.

Daryl had not yet told them about Glenn and Abraham.

Negan had been living with Selena for months now, and she was till hell fire angry too, now he'd have two angry wives.

Daryl approached him and Negan with fiery anger as he connected the dots in his mind. Negan had known that both of them were alive and didn't tell them.

'You knew where she was, all this time!" He raged as Paulina put herself in between the two of them before they killed each other.

"Darlin you best move," Negan warned, "Seems like your former husband is a little riled up."

"Former my fucking ass!" Daryl charged towards him so fast Negan didn't get a chance to raise his bat at all.

Both men fell on the ground with Daryl on top with both hands around Negan's throat, the bat went flying out of Negan's hands.

"You knew she was alive! You knew who she was to me and you didn't tell me!" Daryl yelled as he choked him, " You wanted her for yourself, well fuck you! I'm here now."

A crowd gathered soon and stood with Paulina as she screamed at them to stop.

Negan managed to get the jump on Daryl and they rolled round and round in the dirt as Paulina kicked at Negan to get him off, Daryl.

From a sheath on his belt, Negan pulled out a knife and attempted to cut Daryl's throat.

Then there was a loud crack as the bat connected with Negan's head. Paulina had picked it up and as she ran towards the fighting men Merle grabbed it from her as he ran past and pummeled Negan's head until he didn't move again.

/

Three days later Serena was back with her family and all seemed right with the world.

That night there was a huge dinner outdoors in the common area of the Hilltop. From somewhere cold beer was obtained and as Paulina and Daryl sat on the high deck of the building with their feet hanging over the edge drinking, they knew for sure that this time they would not be separated again.

"Wanna get drunk and fool around," He asked with a grin as he put his arm around her.

"Always," She answered with a laugh.

Tipsy he stood up and offered his hand to her and she took it. As he pulled her up to stand she fell it his arms where she would stay forever.

/

To her utter surprise, he picked her up and carried her bridal style to their room inside, down the hall and tossed her on the bed. At the foot of the bed, he stood in front of her staring deep into her eyes as he peeled off his shirt. She gazed back at his as if she couldn't look away and his eyes grew dark with lust as he watched her pull her shirt over her head.

"Come're," He grinned down at her and she grinned back raising up on her elbows.

In one quick move, Daryl grabbed her around the ankles and pulled her towards the foot of the bed where he got on his knees. After he kissed her again he looked at her and there was no question of his intent as he set to removing her shoes and pulling her jeans down. After had unveiled all of her he licked his lips at the sight of her in just her red matching underwear.

He had no idea of how she agonized over what to wear.

"You look delicious," He said running his hands over her leg and smiling at her, "This ok?"

Paulina nodded vigorously as Daryl brought his hands over her thighs and pushed her legs apart, swiping his thumbs over the material of her panties, "We can take our time tonight," He growled low in his chest as he brought his fingers back and forth over the silky material.

He watched her reaction as his thumbs made slow lazy circles over her pussy and she squeaked the way she had done so many times before. This was heaven to him, to have a woman that responded this way to him, she made all manner of noises and the way her body moved under his hands let him know he was on the right track.

Paulina arched her back as he brought his lips down to her thigh, laying open-mouthed kisses along her skin, and never stopping his fingers as he watched her reaction.

"You like that?"

"Yes," She breathed out, "Oh my God."

"You want more," He asked, sliding his fingers under the waistband of her panties and bringing his eyes up to meet hers.

"Yes," Paulina moaned, he already had her dangling off a cliff and it had only been a few minutes. Slowly and methodically Daryl slid her panties down her legs and looked up at her with the devil in his eyes.

"Now," He kissed her knee and slid his tongue higher, "We're gonna have some real fun."

Daryl watched as she gripped the sheets on either side of her and he'd hardly done anything yet. He spread her legs wide and gazed at the sight before him for just a second before licking her slowly with the flat of his tongue.

"Oh Jesus Daryl," She cried, gripping the sheets harder as he licked her with precision like a pro. He knew his way around her body and every touch and kiss sent thrills through her and anticipation for what was going to happen next.

Next, she felt his fingers first one then two inside her and his tongue making light swipes over her clit until she was almost out of her mind. Her hands had found their way into his hair and she gripped him hard, holding on tight for dear life.

"Sorry, oh I'm sorry," She let go slightly, realizing she was pulling hard on his hair.

Daryl chuckled and slid his eyes up to look at her, "You know I like it," He answered and then he was right back down between her legs doing his evil and driving her out of her mind.

Paulina was well aware that some men ate pussy because they wanted payback, and some ate it because they loved it, Daryl was the latter, it was abundantly clear to her as always, and although she tried to hold out, she couldn't.

"Oh my god, I'm gonna cum..." She moaned and he didn't stop, she watched his head move back and forth as she gripped his hair tighter. She'd never watched before, it was the most erotic thing she had ever seen.

"Do it honey," He crooned, pushing his tongue inside of her and sliding his slippery fingers along her lips to her clit and back again until he got what he wanted from her.

Paulina felt her scalp start to tingle and the feeling started rushing over her body in waves, her arms went weak as she let go of his hair and gave herself over to the feeling.

It went on forever, she thought, and he drank her like a fine wine until the last drop was gone.

"Oh god dammit get up here," She demanded as she pulled him up and he crawled over her. Paulina frantically reached for his buckle and zipper, her fingers fumbling and pulling until he was out of his jeans and boxers.

She let out a moan of satisfaction when he was finally inside her, and Daryl responded in kind with a grunt as he started fucking her hard. He rolled over so that she was on top of him and she looked down at him, moving her hips against his without missing a beat.

"That's it, baby, fuck me, fuck me good," He groaned, bringing his hands up to her hips and watching her breasts move with every thrust of her hips, she was a glorious sight.

"I'm gonna," She panted, "I'm gonna fuck you so good baby."

Her hair hung in his face as she went at him with everything she had and he was losing it fast. If he didn't roll them back over and take some control back it was going to be all over with and he wasn't done with her yet.

"God you're unbelievable," He groaned as she pulled him up and wound her legs around his waist. For a moment in time, they were face to face, unmoving, " I love you,"" He whispered, "It's always been you."

"I have loved you all my life…" Then his lips were on hers again

Daryl rolled them both over and lifted her legs up, holding her by the thighs and slowed down, he stared into her eyes and they burned into her, she couldn't look away.

His grip never loosened and his fingers dug into the flesh of her thigh as he fucked her nice and slow. Paulina felt it swirling inside of her again, it wouldn't take much, she was almost there again.

Daryl watched as the red flush rose over her chest and he knew she was close again.

"Come on baby," He pulled out of her and then pushed in hard, "Cum all over my dick Lina."

His dirty mouth made the hair on her arms stand up in a good way and she kept eye contact with him as his words pulled her over the edge into the abyss again.

"Oh fuck yes Daryl fuck yes," She cried as sweat dripped down over their bodies, and she pulled him down on top of her and held him tight.

He could feel her body pulsating around his dick; that was the going to be the end of it, and he groaned in ecstasy. Just before he lost it completely he pulled out and took her hand and before she knew it she was on her stomach. Paulina felt his grip on her hips as he pulled her back on his cock and her head hit the pillows at the head of the bed.

It was so deep.

There was no way he could stop it again and he came with a roar as everything went white behind his eyes. Somehow he found himself lying next to her when it was over and she was trembling again and so was he. This time he wasn't surprised; it was the effect they had on each other.

"Oh my God, You're fucking amazing," He moaned as he pulled her close and wrapped the blanket around them, and she let out a soft sigh of contentment. Daryl lay a sweet kiss on the side of her head and she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

"No you are," She murmured softly.

They were asleep in minutes from exhaustion but he woke her up in the middle of the night. It was slower and sweeter that time, in the knowledge that finally, after everything they had been through they were going to grow old together after all.

THE END

Notes: Thank you for reading.


End file.
